Judith Sheahan Furst

Beloved wife of the late Frederick V. Furst III; devoted mother of the late Mark S. Furst and his wife Sandy, John F. Furst and his wife Theresa, Stacie A. Kwoka and her husband Robert, Mary K. Furst, Kelly J. Nolan and her husband R. Bruce, and Colin P. Furst and his wife Jennifer Harhigh; cherished grandmother of Sarah Zoppo and her husband Giuliano, Stephanie Furst, Erica Griggs and her husband Matthew, Rachel Freeman and her husband Brandon, Gregory Kwoka and his wife Sara, Lindsay Kwoka-Faccenda and her husband David, Christopher Nolan and his wife Kelly, Ryan Nolan, Helen Furst, Ava Furst, Victor Furst; dear great grandmother of Emma, Claire, Charlotte, Millie, Ryleigh, and Gino; also survived by her granddog Polly, many loving nieces, nephews, family, and friends.

Judy Furst (nee Sheahan) was born in Chicago during the Great Depression and her earliest memories were of those days with her beloved parents and five siblings. As a youngster during World War II, she and her little brother, Gerry, could name all military airplanes in the War and sniffed out suspected enemy agents among their neighbors!

In the early 1950s, she headed off for adventure in Europe, following her beloved sister, Helen, who had married an Air Force Major posted in Germany. Judy took a job with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI). That is where she met Fred Furst, a tall handsome Air Force Sergeant. They got married there…by the bürgemeister!! They honeymooned in Paris.

Returning home to Baltimore, Fred & Judy started a family. Did they EVER! Six Children, 11 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren later, she remained as loving – and fun-loving – as ever. Throughout her life, she loved playing ragtime piano, being silly with her children (and their children), and laughing on her porch with close friends. She never met a New York Times crossword puzzle she couldn’t tackle. She and Fred had a passion for California and traveled throughout the state too many times to count.

All of us in the family will always cherish the loving Christmas Eve celebrations Mom & Dad created for us over the decades – always with great food, cheery music, and yes, more laughs. And that is something she continued to convey to us all of these years later: find time for family, always have something to look forward to, and don’t take things too seriously.

In addition to Baltimore, Judy and the family lived in Ridgewood, NJ, and in later years she and Fred enjoyed a long retirement at their homes in Ocean Pines, MD, and Leesburg, FL. They watched many a sunset together, with their signature gin martinis in hand!!! They were married for 63 years until Fred’s passing in 2016. We trust they are reunited today with their beloved son, Mark, and all of their beloved family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Judith’s name to the Franciscan Center, 101 W. 23rd St. Baltimore, MD 21218.

Relatives and friends are invited to gather at Stella Maris 2300 Dulaney Valley Rd, Timonium, MD 21093, on Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 10:00AM-11:00AM with a mass to follow at 11:00AM.