Judy L. White

October 3, 1941 - September 16, 2024

“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” — Hans Christian Andersen

Judy Letson White of Atlanta, GA died on September 16, 2024 at the age of 82, leaving behind a lifetime full of memories, a legacy of a career that touched so many, and loving family and friends.

At her essence, Judy was a storyteller. It takes a unique person to hold a room full of children captivated, suspended in awe, and delighted. Judy was that special person, who could instill wonder with her voice and animated expressions. Judy was a deeply devoted mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, wife, daughter, co-worker, and friend. She always brought joy and happiness, with equal parts of dilly dallying, silliness, and an ongoing reel of wonderful stories about her childhood and her life.

Judy was also a fighter. She beat an aggressive form of breast cancer with grace and ferocity. She also lost her husband unexpectedly and helped care for her aging parents, all in a short period of time. Any one of these events could harden a person to the world, but Judy never lost her sense of hope or her unwavering ability to find good in everything around her. No matter what life threw at her, she consistently soldiered on with dignity and kindness.

Judy was born on October 3, 1941 in Montgomery, AL to Dr. John Walter Letson and Sara Agnes Wilkes Letson. She was the first of five children and in her early years the family lived in Lowndesboro, AL, Bessemer, AL, and for two years in Dothan, AL to be near Judy’s grandparents while her father served in WWII. They also lived in New York City while her father obtained his doctorate at Columbia University. When Judy was a senior in high school, the family moved to Chattanooga, TN where Dr. Letson was the school superintendent. The family then moved to Atlanta, GA, where Dr. Letson served as school superintendent during the desegregation era of the Atlanta Public School System.

Judy attended Lindenwood College in St. Louis, MO. One holiday break home from college in Atlanta, while working wrapping holiday packages at a department store, she met James J. White, and it was love at first sight. He was a handsome Navy pilot and asked her out on a date right there at the gift-wrapping counter. On weekends, Jim would fly up to St. Louis in his fighter jet to see her. She would be outside riding her horse, and he’d fly over so she knew he had arrived and was landing at the Navy base there. Jim and Judy were married at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta and traveled to Portugal, England, France, and Spain for their wedding trip. They enjoyed their early years of marriage with vibrant social lives as part of the Nine O’Clocks, members of the Piedmont Driving Club and First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, raising prize-winning Brittany hunting dogs, and enjoying special occasions with friends and family in Athens, GA and Atlanta. Jim and Judy had two children: James Ashton White and Elizabeth Bradshaw White. Judy raised her children with immense love and devotion, southern sweetness, and a constant pile of books.

Judy majored in speech and drama in college and starred in many play productions in high school and college, including My Fair Lady, Look Homeward Angel, Pajama Game, Beauty and the Beast, and many others. Judy was also in the Maid of Cotton pageant in Memphis, TN, was the head majorette, played clarinet in the high school band, and was Miss National Junior Achievement. Judy later obtained a master’s degree in the art of teaching from Emory University. She also hosted a radio show and loved the years she was part of the Atlanta Children’s Theater and the Atlanta Junior League.

These early experiences prepared Judy well for her life’s work, which was storytelling. After raising her children to their teenage years and also working as a preschool teacher, she dove into a career as a children’s librarian. Judy poured her heart into her weekly story programs at her beloved Northside Branch Library, storytelling festivals, and programs for packed auditoriums such as the stage at the Milner book awards, for which she served on the selection committee for many years. A generation of children remember Miss Judy, who would don fairy princess costumes and holiday sweaters, all in the spirit of bringing joy to others.

Judy - or Nana as she was known in her grandmother years - also became an avid storyteller to her grandchildren and constantly worked to foster a love of reading in each of them. She embraced any opportunity to get a children’s book signed by the author with a note for her children or grandchildren, ensuring they would have a lifetime library of children’s books of their very own.

After Judy retired, she had more time to travel to places such as Hawaii, Williamsburg, VA, Compass Lake, FL, and Disney World, and to spend time with her children and grandchildren in Bellingham, WA, St. Augustine, FL and Missoula, MT. She also traveled to China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Pasadena, California for the Rose Bowl Parade, and many other memorable adventures with her children, grandchildren, and friends. In her final year she battled symptoms associated with pulmonary fibrosis, the cause of which we will never know with certainty but was likely linked to her cancer treatments almost 30 years prior.

Judy left an imprint on everyone who knew her, and also on random strangers, whom she would chat up with exuberance. Our hearts are more full, our table manners more refined, our bookshelves more stuffed, and our lives more meaningful because of our beloved Judy/Mom/Nana. We miss her terribly and will forever love her.

Judy leaves behind her children James A. White (Jodi White) and Elizabeth W. Erickson (Matt Erickson), her grandchildren Emily White, Lindley Erickson, and Benton Erickson, sisters Peggy Letson Thompson, Debbie Letson Smith, brothers Alan Letson and Jim Letson, her best friend, Leslie Driver, many nieces, nephews, and cousins, and countless other people whose lives she touched.

A family ceremony and burial took place at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, GA on September 21, 2024, and a celebration of life is planned in October.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Friends of Northside Library, 3295 Northside Parkway NW, Atlanta, GA 30327; 404-613-6870 or to the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation; 404-613-0156; One Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, GA 30303.