A great soul graduated peacefully to the next level Sunday morning, May 31, 2020, in the loving embrace of her husband, Jim, and daughter, Eugenie.
Judy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1927, daughter of Emily Brett and Earl Crumb. She grew up there with the support of a vivacious and creative family. She spent much of her youth in the Little Theatre in the French Quarter, helping her aunt design costumes. She went to New Orleans Country Day School and then attended Newcomb Arts School for two years. She studied dance in NYC and explored her interest in all the arts. She then began to express her creative talent through weaving and various fiber arts. Her artistic eye propelled her into a successful career in museum curating. Judy became the curator of costumes at the Louisiana State Museum and was even custodian of various important historical treasures, including the original Louisiana Purchase. In New Orleans, Judy and her first husband, Jean Seidenberg, had three beautiful children, Vicki, Eugenie and Brett. She later moved to Cambridge, MA, where she became an exhibits director at the Boston Children’s Museum, while maintaining a consultant position at the Louisiana State Museum.
After spending many summers in Vermont, Judy moved her family to Waitsfield in 1970 with the encouragement of dear friends Della and Michael Hertzberg. Here, Judy opened her heart and home to many of her children’s best friends, including Stanley Walker, Tracy Martin, Gamal Buhaina and David Bardes. In 1972, she met and fell in love with Jim Dodds, who would be her love and partner for the next 50 years. Judy and Jim met at a guru meeting at Goddard College. The connection was immediate. In those first moments he said, “I feel like I’ve met you somewhere before,” and she said, “Yes, in another life.” Judy and Jim were married in an early morning, hippy ceremony September 1, 1973, surrounded by lots of sleepy friends in their Waitsfield backyard.
Judy was a great businesswoman and in 1970 she opened The Red Tulip Crafts Store in the Old High School. This business later became Tulip Tree Crafts, located at Village Square, which she successfully ran until her retirement in 2002, in partnership with Nancy Wright and Mary Stabach, respectively. During those 30 years Judy developed her talents into a wonderful expression of beautiful fiber arts, including her striking translucent fabric techniques that simulated the luminous beauties of stained glass, but still were able to flutter in the character of fabric when a faint breeze went by, a paradox of lightness and solidity, just like Judy.
Her work was featured in many art shows across the country and she won numerous awards. She became known for her large-scale fabric wall hangings, one of which was a commission for the reopening of the Sugarbush Sports Center. Judy was one of the founders of the Valley Rug Hookers group, which is still active today. Her passion for the artistic spirit behind rug hooking led her and Jim to produce a 60-minute video called “The Heart of Hooking.” She was also a great force in the revival of the Valley Historical Society and acted as their curator for many years. Judy was a multitalented ball of energy with an enormous heart and vibrant spirit.
Judy’s physical presence is no longer with us, but her great heart and love will never fade from our lives. She is survived by her devoted husband, Jim; daughter, Eugenie; and granddaughter, Madeline. We are grateful for the loving support of her friend and caregiver, Karen Smith, the wonderful staff of Hands at Home Care Services, Sharon Parks and Macy Moulton, and all the loving care she received at The Arbors at Shelburne.
To honor her memory, you can make a contribution to Alzheimer’s research at alz.org. A video of Judy’s Retrospective Show of her long career that was held at Valley Arts Festival Gallery in 2016 will be running on the local Channel 44 starting Monday, June 8, 2020.
