Judy L Tiedemann

Judy L. Tiedemann, January 12, 1943-February 3, 2026

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce that Judy Lucille Tiedemann passed peacefully at her home in Santa Fé. Judy was born in Jersey City, NJ, on January 12, 1943, the first of two daughters born to Rena (Santillo) and Walter Badaracco. Judy began her formal schooling at St. Bridget’s in Jersey City and spent her freshman year of high school at Sacred Heart Academy in Hoboken before her family moved to Lake Hiawatha, NJ. The move proved to be a wonderful one for Judy, in that her time at Parsippany High School saw her make life-long friends and begin her own amazing journey in the field of education.

Judy met her husband, John, while both were at Jersey City State College. He quickly became enamored with her and she, an exceptional figure skater, decided that building a life and family with him would bring her more joy than a career with the Ice Capades; we’re so glad she chose as she did! They married at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in May of 1964, greeted their first daughter, Amy-Beth, in May of ‘65, their second, Jill-Marie, in May of ‘66, and completed their family with the arrival of their son, Jon-David, in March of ‘71. While there were many lean times for them in those early years, our parents’ love for one another never wavered. Judy, never one to mince words, reminded John that he should “not forget there’s another mouth to feed” as he walked out the door for his police academy admission exam in the summer of 1966. Judy returned to college once their children were in school and completed her BA in Education at William Paterson College, accepting a job teaching in the Gifted and Talented program at Troy Hills School. Judy returned to WPC and completed her MA in Special Education, spending the remainder of her 30-year career as a Learning Disabilities Teacher/Consultant with the Parsippany Troy Hills, and then Roxbury, Public Schools systems.

Judy’s time in the field of education afforded her opportunities to travel to China and Japan, in hopes of sharing with educators there the strategies she had found most helpful in navigating the various challenges faced by students with learning differences. Judy was inspired by her students and used this as fuel to inspire others. Judy loved to travel, both domestically and internationally, and used summer breaks to do just that, including a cross country van trip (long before “van life” was a thing); a wonderful journey to Italy with Amy-Beth; and Caribbean cruises with her sister, Debbi. Judy found tremendous peace in and on the water of Green Lake in Ellsworth, ME, where she and John bought a small cottage that offered them respite from the usual busyness of life and the place where their post-retirement summers were spent.

More than any other job in her life, Judy loved being a mother. It was a role she cherished and poured herself into, working to make sure that she mothered each of her children as the unique individuals they were. Upon her retirement in June of 2003, Judy became an active member of the Parsippany Troy Hills Board of Education, serving for a time as the Board President. She also volunteered at St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville and was a Eucharistic Minister at St. Peter’s. The communities with whom she volunteered, her many close friends, deep faith in God, and the strength of her husband helped Judy navigate the devastating and unexpected death of Amy-Beth in November of 2003. By her own admission, Judy never fully recovered from that loss, “but a mother does what she must do”--and what she did was help the rest of her family figure out how to move forward. After she was widowed in 2013, Judy moved to Santa Fé, finding wonder in the gorgeous skies and panoramic vistas of New Mexico. Judy became a parishioner and Eucharistic Minister at The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and a volunteer at both Christus St. Vincent Hospital and Bienvenidos Outreach. She was actively involved in these roles until her own health declined in 2020.

Judy is preceded in death by her parents Rena and Walter Badaracco; her in-laws, Fritz and Hertha Tiedemann; her devoted husband, John; her talented and remarkable daughter, Amy-Beth; and her wonderfully artistic younger sister, Debbi Owens. Judy is survived by her loving and now bereft daughter, Jill-Marie and wife, Janelle Haught, whom Judy loved as her own; dear son, Jon-David and wife, Michelle; grandchildren, Nicholas; Ashley (Shawn), parents of her great-granddaughter, Briella; Michelle’s children, Jessica Jones (Michael) and their son, Jackson; Charlie Lynch (Amber) and his son, Leo.

Judy is also survived by so many of those remarkable friends she made in her teens, including Bernice, Terri, Terry, Sue, Marilyn and Rich; those with whom she proudly worked as part of various Child Study Teams, especially Laura and Eileen; her more recent dear and special friends in Northern New Mexico: Jean, Fonso, Juana, Isabel, Beth and Anne, and “the family dog”, Beans.

The world is a better place because Judy was part of it—she touched innumerable families through her work in the field of education—and it is our sincere hope that she has inspired others in the field. She has left her mark on the world by offering scholarship funds which have provided aid to students, small business owners, and those who love animals.

Our family is deeply grateful for the loving care Judy received from the staff at The Montecito Memory Care Unit, especially Mae, Erica, Melissa, April, Jodean, Joelle, and Aurora.

The world, in particular her family’s world, is a much sadder place with her passing. Our father’s final words to our mother were that he would miss hearing her voice and now we find ourselves facing this reality. We will never recover from the loss of her, but we each will do our best to heed her advice and find our way forward in her absence.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you NOT “save it for good”--take that trip, buy those shoes, use the good dishes and never, ever skip dessert! For those who wish to, donations may be made in Judy’s memory to Bienvenidos Outreach (1511 5th St. Santa Fe, NM 87505; bienvenidosfoodpantry.org)

A funeral service will be held Saturday, February 21st, 2026, 1pm in the Kiva Chapel of Light at Rivera Family Funeral; 417 East Rodeo Rd., Santa Fe, with an on-site reception to follow. For those unable to attend, the service can be livestreamed at: https://www.viewlogies.net/rivera/EmgjGJUN9?pin=387477