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What would you do if you overheard an elderly couple in the pet aisle of a grocery store debating whether the tuna or salmon flavors would make a better supper? If you were Judy Ukasick, you would take your cart up and down the aisles filling it with food, paying for it and putting it in the couple's car telling them to call her if they ever needed help again. This is just one of many acts of kindness that Judy unselfishly administered during her all too short stay on this earth.
I knew Judy and her partner, Carol Lund, for years. They held a special interest in stones and would come into Free Spirit on occasion and light up my day. Judy would relay stories of how they would go to Arkansas and dig crystals that they would put in their yard. She always had a sparkle in her eye, a kind word in her smile and I admired her pluck and tenacity as she dealt with life's challenges.
Judy lost her challenge with cancer on February 27th at the young age of 63. The last time I saw her and Carol last fall, Judy was set to go to the Cancer Institute of America for a very rigorous, cutting edge procedure that she believed would give her more years with her lovely partner. Even in her pain and discomfort, Judy did not complain, she did not feel sorry for herself and she felt at peace with her life. I will never forget her tenacity in dealing with her condition as I will never forget her tenacity in treating people with kindness.
Judy was a wonderful teacher for me and, as I sat in church for her memorial and listened to the stories being told about her love for others, I came away a changed person. I wish I could have told her how she affected my heart and how I vowed that day to follow in her footsteps to treat others kindly and with compassion. I don't think I would have filled my cart for that elderly couple as she had then but I certainly would now.
Thank you, Judy, for sharing your magnificent life with us and for teaching us that quiet kindness is an everyday act. I am blessed for having known you.
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