SOUTHPORT — Judith Jordan Smith, 80, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. She was born Feb. 15, 1940, in Harvel, Illinois, to the late Bernard Leo Jordan and Evelyn Helena Langen Jordan.
Survivors include her husband, Gary Smith; daughter, Sherol Lappala of Southport; son, Steven Smith of Panama City, Florida; grandson, Will Bremen of Chapel Hill; brother, Joe Jordan, and his wife, Delores, of Riverton, Illinois; sister, Maureen Folkerts, and her husband, Paul, of Nokomis, Illinois; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandson, Shane Bremen.
Judy began life on a farm helping her mother collect eggs in rural Illinois. She went on to travel the United States and Europe as a military wife, making new homes every two years and becoming the family’s chief commanding officer when her husband was deployed for tours in Vietnam and Thailand.
She introduced her two children to the wonders each new locale had to offer, ranging from camping in Idaho, to watching the July 4th fireworks at our nation’s capitol, touring colonial Williamsburg and skiing in Austria. In each new state or country she visited, she bought a set of salt and pepper shakers that she sent home to her mother in Illinois so that she could track the adventures of her traveling daughter. Today this eclectic collection fills a wall, reflecting the many cultures, challenges and curiosities discovered during a life spent serving our country as a military family.
After retirement, the wanderlust continued and Judy and her husband toured the United States in an R.V. for five years, spending time in each state discovering its unique wonders, the highlight being salmon fishing in Alaska for three months.
Judy was a lifelong learner, taking college classes in every city they lived in and always promoting the education and advancement of women through her membership in the PEO Sisterhood (Philanthropic Educational Organization), in which she served as president in Grand Lake, Colorado, attending the international PEO convention as a delegate in San Diego, California. She also enjoyed a lifelong love of music, which ranged from playing the organ at church to serving as chair of the Grand County, Colorado, concert series. Judy’s most recent avocation was clocking five miles on her trike bike, where she was often seen riding down the waterfront in downtown Southport. The highlight of 2020 for Judy was the Dodgers winning the World Series.
Mrs. Smith will be cremated and buried in Arlington National Cemetery, along with her husband, Gary, at the time of his passing.
Share online condolences with the family at Peacock-Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service.
