Judith Ann Parsons Haskell

April 18, 1935 – September 6, 2023

Judith Ann Parsons Haskell, 88, of Hadley, passed away on September 6, 2023, three days after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.

Judy was born on April 18, 1935, in Barberton, Ohio, the only child of Marion Ernest Parsons and Dorothy Alene Hostetter Parsons.  She spent her childhood writing stories, drawing pictures, and making dolls as well as learning about insects, especially butterflies, in the fields near her home. Her maternal grandmother, an antique dealer, introduced Judy to the world of heirlooms, a collecting passion she pursued with enthusiasm the rest of her life.

The first in her family to graduate from college, Judy was a fearless trail blazer for women of her generation, and subsequent generations of women who pursue what is now referred to as STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, from Ohio State University and her Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in the biological sciences from Purdue University.  It was at Purdue that she met her future husband, David Haskell, who was also pursuing his Ph.D.  David enjoyed telling the story of seeing Judy through the window as she was busily working in the lab, and becoming instantly smitten.  They were engaged in two weeks, married soon after, and within several years had started a family, with a daughter, Heather Rebecca and a son, Jordan Mark and a dalmatian named Birch. As a family they traveled every summer across country, camping out, visiting landmarks and national parks, and collecting souvenirs of their journeys. David and Judy were married for 63 years before David’s passing in 2022.

In 1961, Judy completed her Ph.D. and joined David, working as a botany professor in the biology department at Smith College, in Massachusetts. A scientist with the looks of a supermodel, Judy accepted a position as a biochemical researcher and co-principal investigator for the United States Public Health Service at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She studied the active transport of potassium and sodium on metabolism in silkworms, a project that had implications in the treatment of muscular dystrophy. After seven years, and publishing and collaborating on eleven articles about her research findings, she left the lab for teaching, becoming a biology teacher at Northampton High School. She excelled in the classroom and soon was named Head of the Science Department for grades K -12, a position she held for over twenty years.   She won the Outstanding High School Science Teacher by the Williams College Sigma Xi Club, an academic honor society that recognizes scientific research and confirmed the impact she had on her students.  In addition to her success integrating research into the high school science curriculum, she and her students organized an annual blood drive for the American Red Cross, with Judy always first in line to donate blood.  Her former students, many of whom went on to become researchers and doctors, still remark that her “Origin of Life” lecture was the best they had ever heard.

Throughout her life and after retiring in 1990, Judy pursued her passions of helping others, collecting antiques, and learning about the galaxy. During her lifetime she nursed dozens of abandoned or injured birds to health, often brought to her by friends, neighbors and her students, and tended to a menagerie of animals including baby chicks, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, finches, squirrels, dogs, cats, bats, and a 6-foot iguana named Iggy. Called “a healer” by friends, people sought her out for her willing ear and sound advice. Judy could be found searching for treasures at tag sales, auctions and flea markets every weekend with her daughter, Heather, and son-in-law, Fred, and was thrilled every time a new image from the Hubble and Webb Telescopes was released.  Watching Nova with her son, Jordan, was one of her favorite pastimes.  She was among the first volunteers at the Hospice Shop for the Fisher Home, where she worked for over a decade.  And, her chili was legendary!

Judy is survived by her daughter, Heather and her husband, Frederick Burns, her son, Jordan, with whom she lived, her grandson, Kirk Edward, her former daughter-in-law, Molly Hoyle, and two devoted dogs, Danny and Joey.  Her husband, David, passed away in 2022.

At Judy’s request, no public service is planned. The family gives special thanks to her devoted caregivers, Devika Pandit and Jesenia Sanchez, who attended to her every need and filled her days with fun and adventure.  In lieu of flowers, Judy would appreciate donations to the T.J. O’Connor Adoption Center https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/ForHMZsVNbwJOxllwfx0nw or Dakin Humane Society https://www.dakinhumane.org/tribute-donation as her wonderful canine companions were adopted from the two organizations.  Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst has been entrusted with Judy’s arrangements.