Judith O'Malley Obituary

Judy O'Malley was born in Liberal, Kansas to William Myer Long and Elizabeth Jane Dunlap Long. She spent her early years in Kansas, Utah and Colorado where her dad owned and managed newspapers. When she was eleven her family settled permanently in Boulder, Colorado where she attended Boulder High School and Colorado University. It was at CU that Judy met her future husband Tom O'Malley. Tom and Judy were married on February 9th, 1962. Judy and Tom spent twenty-seven years in the Air Force where they were stationed on twenty bases from northern Maine to southern California. The next chapter of Judy's life started after Tom retired from the Air Force in 1989. Judy and Tom then lived in Coopersville, Michigan, where Tom was a city manager. Tom retired a second time in 2001 and Judy achieved her fondest wish of retiring in Colorado and experiencing the mountains she enjoyed as a child.

Judy is survived by two daughters, Lisa Hale (Mike) and Debbie Roda (Rick) and one son Tom O'Malley Jr. (Kristi); nine grandchildren: Caity, Patrick, Teddy, and Alina Hale; Rylie, Richard and Sydney Roda, and Joseph and Megan O'Malley. She is also survived by her brother, Bill and sisters Kathyrn and Mary Leslie.

Judy was a wonderful cook and owned a small library of cook books. She followed closely the lives of James Beard and Julia Child and was a dogmatic advocate of vegetables. She was a voracious consumer of mystery novels and crime shows and had a strange penchant for black licorice, late night chocolates, African violets and orchids. She had a wicked sense of humor and was adventurous from birth. She enjoyed traveling abroad, seeing the world first with her mother and grandmother and later with Tom. Judy was independent, but had a passion for helping others, spending years volunteering in Michigan and then in Colorado. Above all, it was spending time with her family and friends that gave her joy. Judy had an abiding faith in God and the power of prayer. On her bathroom wall hangs a picture quoting 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Judy embodied this truth and in her final months, weeks, and days this flower was in full bloom. While absent in body, Judy's faith, hope and love remain. She will be dearly missed.

A memorial celebration will be at the O'Malley home, 14055 Nichlas Court, Colorado Springs, 80921 on March 19th, at 4:00 P.M. Donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Make-A-Wish Foundation in lieu of flowers.