Judith Waggoner

Judith Ann Rutledge Waggoner died peacefully in hospice care on July 6, 2018, at her assisted living residence in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Born on August 27, 1937, she was almost 81 years old. Her daughter, Anne- Marie Waggoner Gilmore, was with her during her final illness, playing classical music during her passing time. She was surrounded by caregivers at her residence who had come to love her for her for her humor and good nature.

Judy was born in the small farm town of Kenton, Ohio, where her father, Edwin Stahl Rutledge, was editor and publisher of the town newspaper and her mother, Ruth Spicer Rutledge, was a civic leader. In her youth, Judy especially enjoyed caring for her horse Jerry, whom she rode almost daily after school. After the family moved to the California Bay Area, she attended St. Luke’s Nursing School in San Francisco and received her B.S. in nursing from the University of Oregon. She was married to William "Bill" Waggoner, a music professor and professional trombonist, in May 1964, after a brief, whirlwind courtship.

A registered nurse, Judy spent most of her professional career in public health, serving in a variety of settings in California, Pennsylvania, Montana, South Dakota, and Texas, and she served as a visiting home nurse, teacher in college nursing programs, manager of public health programs, and finally as public health nursing supervisor for Sacramento County, California, until her retirement in 2004. She also worked for several years as a nurse at the Student Health Center at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where Bill was a professor - and which was one of her more memorable (and colorful) jobs.

Judy is survived by her daughter, Anne-Marie; son-in-law Ryan Gilmore; and beloved granddaughters, Katie (age 17) and Jennifer (age 12) Gilmore, all of Cave Springs, Arkansas. A “middle child,” Judy is also survived by her younger sister, Sarah Jane Rutledge Moridi, a musician, poet, and religious writer who lived in Iran for many years before returning to the states in Sacramento; her brother, Mark Rutledge, a semi-retired campus minister at Duke University; and her sister-in-law Betsy Alden, of Durham, North Carolina. Judy's beloved husband, Bill, preceded her in death in August 1991.

Memorial gifts may made to the American Diabetes Association in Judy's name. Private memorial services will be held at a later date.

Private Family Services will be held at a later date. She passed away