Judy Walker Renick

Judy was born Justa Virginia Walker to Claud “Jack” Lawrence Walker (of Whitehouse, TX) and Syble Virginia Jennings (of Gibsland, LA) in Shreveport, LA on July 6, 1936. She moved to Houston shortly thereafter where she spent most of her youth. As a young girl, she went to Hockaday (C’54) and after graduation attended Pine Manor for a year and then the University of Texas from which she graduated in 1960. It was there that she met the love of her life Brink Coleman Renick, Jr. whom she married on September 9, 1967. From that point on, they were a team. While not everyone agreed, Judy thought Coleman was the funniest person alive and joyfully played the straight-man to his quipster for 50 years, until his death in 2017.

Coleman and Judy started their lives together in Canadian, TX where Coleman was an independent oil man. They circled themselves with a tightknit group of Panhandle friends, from 1967 until 1984, when they moved to San Antonio. Punctuated by extended summer trips to La Jolla, weekends in Port A, gambling junkets to Las Vegas, and cruises through the Panama Canal, Judy and Coleman made their home and spent the rest of their lives in San Antonio.

Coleman described Judy as “the perfect wife”, a compliment she not only reveled in, but rejoiced each time she heard. Judy simply adored Coleman. She always trusted that he knew just what to do and missed him tremendously in her final years.

Judy kept in touch with many friends from varied circles throughout her life. Friends described her as; always positive, someone who could keep a secret, a compassionate giver, a travel companion, a willing hostess, having a wry sense of humor and a cynical eye. To a lucky group of “babies” a generation younger than she, she was an advisor, trusted confidant, occasional employer, and always willing to lend an ear. To these fortunate kids, she played the cherished role of a respected authority figure who delicately navigated the territory between sage friend and parent.

Judy was many things, a doting wife to Coleman, a dear friend to many, the spark and color in Barbara’s later life, a kindred soul to Karen, stand-in mother of the bride to Margaret, mahjong partner of 20 years to Barbara, Joan, Sallie, Caroline, Carol and Karen, a compatriot in a decade-long search for the best breakfast taco in San Antonio to Jane, an opinionated student to Coleen, a considerate, compassionate patron and friend who took a special interest in the lives of Rickey, Diana, Samuel and Angie, and a doting dog-mother to Ralph and Scooter.

Judy was no shrinking violet, while willing to go along for the ride to a certain extent, she knew what she liked, and how things should be done. If she thought you were wrong, “she’d let you know”. Not content to simply tell someone they were wrong, it was important for Judy to know that they knew she was right.

Judy had a knack for “trimming away other's pretension” and had strong opinions which she freely shared. If you were to tell her that perhaps an opinion shouldn’t be shared, she wouldn’t have cared. In fact, she probably would have doubled down. She loved to push people’s buttons and the list of people she and Coleman found joy in tormenting is long and distinguished. Above all, she was a good listener, recognizing that “everybody’s got something” and you can never imagine what some people have been through, Judy took things with a grain of salt.

Judy had class and style and was far hipper than her pearls and pantsuit might suggest. As comfortable at Chester’s Hamburgers as the Argyle, she was always on top of trends, seeking out the best new restaurant, first in line to the latest movie and a devotee of People magazine. She punctuated her love of pop culture, NFL Football, Elvis, and George Strait with more sophisticated interests such as Broadway theater, academic lectures, and was always an engaged and thoughtful contributor to her book club. She hated “old fuddy duddy’s”, went to great lengths to avoid becoming one, and called them out where she saw them.

Judy was a voracious reader, a gift she inherited from her father and a passion she promoted through her involvement with the Library Foundations in both Canadian (where she was instrumental in establishing the Mitch Link Children’s Memorial Library) and San Antonio, her presidency of the Texas Library Association and her frequent gifts of books by favorite authors including; David Sedaris, Karl Hiaasen, and James Lee Burke. Other passions included; various roles at First Presbyterian Church, the Battle of Flowers Association where loved inspecting floats with the Fire Marshall prior to the parade, serving on the Advisory Council of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, dinners at the Argyle, and hosting San Antonio’s most A-list Christmas party at Club Giraud, among other things. Judy was gracious, compassionate and generous and enjoyed the act of giving immensely.

Judy was a trooper who rarely complained. While she suffered, she chose not to dwell on her condition(s), but rather live in the moment. The most beguiling of her illnesses caused car accelerators to mysteriously slam to the floor, leading more than 1 SUV to become airborne. Later in life, her love of reading was impaired by hereditary macular degeneration. She soldiered on, reading with ever greater magnification and becoming an advocate for I Care San Antonio.

Judy is survived by her brother Charles “Bub” Claud Walker and his wife Susan of Doyline, LA, her niece Sutton Aldrich and great-niece McKenzie Virginia Aldrich of Buffalo, TX and her sister-in-law Elizabeth “Libby” Renick Smith of Miami, FL and niece Pauline “Polly” Kalasinski of Waxhaw, NC and nephews Lawton Smith, Jr. of Orlando, FL and Coleman Smith of South Orange, NJ.

A special thanks is due to her doctor, Lon Smith, who saw her through various difficulties and provided her with skilled treatment and a trusted voice. Much appreciation goes to Tracie Ruiz, Maria Driver and Millie-Ermelinda Quiroz who helped and comforted Judy in her final months.

Judy was loved by many and we will all miss her smile, her laugh, and her edge. She most definitely would have found this obituary too long, though her friends respectfully disagree.

In lieu of flowers, Judy would like you to read more (if that sounds a little preachy, it should), and/or make a donation to; the Hemphill County Library, the San Antonio Library Foundation, or I Care San Antonio, all charities that were near and dear to her heart.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 404 N. Alamo Street, at 3:00 P.M. on Thursday, November 12, 2020.