November 14 2022
Obituary Please share a memory of Judith to include in a keepsake book for family and friends. View Tribute Book Judith Ann Buff died on November 14, 2022, at her home in Santa Rosa. She was born in Pasadena, California, in 1937, the youngest of five children in the household of Robert and Gwendoline Hannah. She grew up in Pasadena and graduated from Pasadena High School in 1955. After two years of study at Pasadena City College, she enrolled as an undergrad at the University of California, Berkeley where she studied early childhood education and development. In 1959 she earned a BA in Psychology and an elementary school teaching certificate. She immediately began her career as a teacher in the Palmdale Elementary School District in Southern California. At UC Berkeley Judy met and eventually married Charles Buff in 1959, and in 1960 joined him in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was stationed at a U.S. Army base nearby. There she found work as a kindergarten teacher at the Army Dependents School and used her free time to travel throughout Western Europe with her husband. In 1963 Judy and Charlie moved to Santa Rosa where they purchased their first home. Judy became the true center of the Buff household and played a major role in raising their three energetic and talented children. It has been said: “There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings”. She generously gave time and space for them to develop the “roots” of responsibility and the “wings” of independence. Judy was not only a loving mother, but also a skilled homemaker, creative seamstress and quilter, devoted Girl Scout leader, and musician. However, she never gave up her keen desire to be a teacher and enthusiastically volunteered for many years to teach the youngest children in her church’s Sunday school and vacation Bible school programs. Later she was appointed to be the Director of Christian Education and subsequently helped to develop and implement a successful teacher training program for Sunday School teachers throughout Northern California. In addition, she served for several years as a teacher’s aide in the Wright Elementary School District in Santa Rosa and was an active member of the Redwood Empire Cursillo community for many years. Late in life she taught herself to play the guitar and assisted in introducing contemporary acoustic guitar music into the worship services at her church, St. Patrick’s Church, Kenwood. However, her special interests were her three grandchildren, Sarah, Jonah, and Gabriel whom she loved beyond measure. She is preceded in death by her mother and father and three sisters, Peggy Fiske, Marcia Farmer, and Dorothy Lewis. She is survived by her husband Charles, three children Jennifer (Rick, deceased), John Matthew (Kathryn), and Carolann (Johanna), sister Priscilla Clark, three grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of the life of Judith and committal are scheduled for Saturday, December 3, at 2:00 pm at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Kenwood. The service will be followed by a reception in the church parish hall. In lieu of flowers she asked that donations be made to the American Cancer Society. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Judith, please visit our floral store. Read more
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Judith Ann Buff November 14 2022.
Death notice for the town of: Dayton, state: Ohio