Obituary of Judith Susan Moutray
A plaque at Tahoma National Cemetery states, "Judith S Moutray 1941 - 2022", but Judy was more than those dates joined by an insipid dash.
That dash contains a lot of life, love, trials, and tribulations. It represents a lifetime of faith, hope, charity, strength and endurance, family and friends, and open-mindedness.
Judith Moutray (Ward Davis), aged 81, transitioned on December 6, 2022. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 56 years, Dell, her mother, Elizabeth (Munsell), and adoptive father, Samuel Davis. She is survived by her three children, Belinda (Jan Wagner), Paul (Heather Bury), and Steve (Sue), and 7 grandchildren.
Born in Wichita, Judy met Dell in the high school orchestra and married a month after graduation. USN musician Moutray and his new bride immediately moved to the coast and foreign lands before settling in Edmonds, Washington.
Judy's favorite symbols were a cross, an anchor, and a heart representing "Faith, Hope, and Charity."
Faith: Judy wasn't religious, but you don't need religion to have morals and integrity. Steven Pinker said, "Knowing there is a world that will outlive you, there are people whose well-being depends on how you live your life, whether or not you directly experience those effects. You want to be the kind of person who has the larger view, who takes other peoples interests into account, who's dedicated to the principles that you can justify, like justice, knowledge, truth, beauty and morality."
Hope: It's said that a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. Judy had all three.
Charity: Often, we underestimate the power of a touch, a phone call, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a day or even a life around or to give comfort. Judy volunteered for fifty-five years. Aesop wrote, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Life is short. Spend it with people who make you laugh and feel loved and be someone else's strength and joy when they need it.
