Judith Todd

AMHERST, Judith (Wilkinson) Todd, 71, of Amherst, died peacefully on May 9, 2013, at the Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst, MA, after a long illness. She was the daughter of Rose Wilkinson of Somerset, MA and the late Stanley Wilkinson. Judith graduated from B.M.C.DurfeeHigh School in Fall River, MA, where she lettered for 4 years in basketball and was class secretary. She obtained a B.S. degree in mathematics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1963 and taught the eighth grade in Somerset, MA. She married Robert Torla on December 28, 1963. In 1976, Judith received an M.S.B.A in accounting from the University of Massachusetts and then worked there until 1988 as the Assistant Controller for Grants and Contracts.  On July 4, 1981, she married David Todd.

Judith noticed and appreciated the small things in life, often picking four leafed clovers and handing them to others. She listened regularly to the BBC World Service and believed that we should know, and care about, what was happening in the whole world. Judith had a passion for justice and fairness and a wonderful sense of humor. She was in awe of no one, except perhaps the Queen of England, and had no patience for those who “were born on third base, and thought they had hit a home run.” Her favorite song was “Streets of London”, which calls us to count our blessings and to notice and care for those who are not so fortunate. She served on the Outreach and Mission Committee of Grace Episcopal Church, and for many years processed the applications for the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund, appreciating that all donations went directly to recipients. She also volunteered at the Hospice Shop of the Fisher Home, which combined a worthy cause, her love of recycling good things that could still make people happy, and the chance to work together with friends.

In addition to her husband, David, and her mother, Rose, Judith is survived by her sister, Joyce Wilkinson of Manchester, CT, her sons Michael Torla of Chandler, AZ and Jason Torla of Seattle, WA, her step-children Jason Dunson Todd of Belfast, ME and Sara Todd Gooch of San Francisco, CA, and her cousin Jan Downey of Oxford, CT. She also leaves 6 beloved grandchildren: Jessica, James, and Christopher Torla; Malcolm and Stella Dunson Todd; and Hazel Gooch.

Judith’s passion, thoughtfulness, caring and sense of humor will be greatly missed by her family and her many friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 1, at 2 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst, where Judith’s ashes will be placed in the Columbarium. Memorial donations may be made to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund through The Daily Hampshire Gazette, Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org), or the Hospice of the Fisher Home (www.fisherhome.org). Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.