Judy Marion Schaber

Surrounded by her loved ones, Judy Schaber passed away peacefully in Ottawa at the age of 77 after a battle with ALS. She was a boldly compassionate wife to Michael, beloved mother to Evan (Megan) and Sarah, and a very proud Nana to Elle and Piper. Judy will also be deeply missed by her siblings Wally (Louise), Mary (Jim) and Peter (Sharon), her cousins Nancy (Martin), Alison and Marion (Paul) as well as all the extended nieces and nephews Graham (Rosie and daughter Gussie) and Owen (Naticia and son Wyatt), Ben (Tiffany and children Flynn and Alexandria), Nicholas and Jake, and Amanda and Andrew.

Judy was born in Hamilton, Ontario to her parents Art and May. Shortly after her birth, her family packed up all their worldly possessions and moved to Ottawa so that her father (a chemistry teacher) could start a new job teaching at Nepean High School. Settling on Tweedsmuir avenue in a quiet plot of land, Judy would be raised in a house that her dad built with his own two hands. Much to her joy, she was soon followed by 3 siblings (Wally, Mary and Peter). Raised in idyllic 50s/60s Ottawa, Judy has a very happy childhood running around the neighbourhood and taking care of the other, more rambunctious siblings. Judy lost her father suddenly in her early teens but not before he instilled a love of teaching into her.

Shortly after graduating high school, Judy attended teacher’s college in Ottawa at the Ottawa Teacher’s College and graduated in 1968. She taught kindergarten in Ottawa at Lady Evelyn as part of the Ottawa Board of Education. While teaching full-time, she pursued a degree in Art History from Carleton University which combined her love of art with her passion to further her knowledge and career.

In 1979, Judy embarked on a 2 year adventure teaching in the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Living in Moscow, Judy had many experiences that would shape her into the kind, compassionate fighter for justice and a better world that all of us in her life knew her as. Alongside stories of Soviet listening bugs, she also had adventures skiing in the Alps at Christmas, travelling all over the Soviet Union to places like St Petersburg and Warsaw, and collecting Matryoshka dolls that now reside with her kids and grandkids.

After returning from Russia, Judy continued her teaching career with a new focus on English as a Second Language (ESL) at W.E. Gowling Public School where she met some of her best friends and was a key member of the Gowling Gals. She fondly remembered a summer-long trip to Australia in 1987 that marked the end of one phase of her life. Shortly after returning, her and Michael fell in love and got married in January of 1990.

In August 1990, Michael and Judy’s lives changed forever with the birth of their first child, Evan. Time moved fast and in April 1992, they welcomed their second child, Sarah, to the world as well. Judy thrived as a loving and doting mother, who filled her kids childhoods with laughter, play and lots of crafts.

In 2002, Judy decided to retire from teaching full-time after 34 years, but her love of supporting young minds never left her, and she taught part-time for many years after that. In addition to substitute teaching, Judy tutored new immigrant high school students to help with their English, and worked to help potential immigrant students with their English to come to Canada. Judy’s love of helping others continued through her time working at Tubman’s as a receptionist for 10 years.

Judy was a masterful gardener and crafted an incredible garden in the backyard of her home. She was an exceptional piano player, and would often play for her friends and family during the holidays to their great enjoyment. A lover of the outdoors, Judy could be found skating on the canal in the winter, and lounging on the dock at the cottage in the summer. At the yearly cottage vacations, Judy always had a delightful craft that the whole family would participate in. In the last few years, with ALS forcing Judy to use her left hand, Judy was still able to create beautiful watercolours that were the envy of the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the ALS Society of Canada would be greatly appreciated. A celebration of life will be held on Sunday June 29th at Tubman Garden Chapel from 3-5 pm.