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Judy D. Hitchcock was born to Jesse and Nina Reeves in the Spring of 1948 in sunny California. When she was about two years old, the family moved to what would become the home of her heart, Florida. Though different events would necessitate her moving away for brief periods, she always returned to Niceville. That is where she lived a life full of loving family and friends until her death on the 19th of February, 2022 at 73 years of age.
She met her first husband, Jefferson Evans Sharon, at a church homecoming in Bruce, Florida. After heartbreaking losses, they finally had their daughter, Jennifer. While their marriage did not last forever, as they had hoped, they raised their daughter with the example of respect toward each other that allowed her to grow up loving both parents.
After her unexpected divorce, Judy proudly joined the United States Army in April of 1981, earning her Army Service Ribbon and qualifying as Expert with an M-16 rifle. In the process of learning how to do offset printing, she met and fell in love with one of the instructors, John H. Meir. She made an honest man of him by marrying him on April Fool’s Day of 1983 and becoming a mother to his sons, John and Jeffrey. Though there was ample opportunity for friction between the children, Judy and Johnny gave them the greatest gift at the very beginning of their marriage by explaining that there were “...no STEPbrothers or STEPsister in that house. There are just brothers and sister.” Shortly, those brothers and sister were joined by their newest brother, Jesse, who was doted upon and dearly spoiled.
Judy and Johnny were both members of the Order of the Eastern Star, eventually serving as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron for a year. Judy went through all of the chairs, serving more time in the position of Martha because her favorite color was green. She enjoyed the socializing of the organization, occasionally attending with her mother Nina, her sister Carrie, and her daughter Jennifer. For a time, her son Jesse was a member of DeMolay.
Johnny and Judy’s relationship was a lesson for their children in the fine arts of devotion and love. Her marriage to Johnny was ended only by health issues that culminated in his untimely demise. Her loneliness was temporarily abated by a brief courtship, then continued with her marriage to Robert Harris that ended quickly with his passage into the next world.
Having such varied outcomes in relationships, she was truly brave in her decision to try dating again. After a few fizzled matches, she found a man to really light her fire. People were a little shocked when she brought her new beau, Fredrick M. Hitchcock, around because he was so different from anybody else she dated or married. When questioned, she explained that she had loved Johnny deeply, but her new fellow had to be different. Otherwise, she explained, she would want to always compare them. With Fred, she knew there was nothing to compare, and she could be free to love him for himself. And she did. They had years of laughter and fun. Suffice it to say, things that happen at Talladega, stay at Talladega.
While some parts of a person’s life can be fitted into specific time periods, there are parts that overlap or last throughout. For example, Judy loved to sew. She learned to sew at a young age from her mother and continued to sew until the end. She made doll clothes with scraps from her dresses for her sister’s Barbies. She made quilts with her mom and sister. Jennifer wanted a special prom dress of her own design, so Judy took her to pick out the fabric and lace needed to concoct a satin and iridescent dream.
When Judy was in college, she roped Carrie into helping her sew costumes for the play her theater class put on. She made the only camouflage dress at her granddaughter, Myranda’s, prom, and a baptism gown for her grandaughter, Jenna, that was fit for a royal princess. She even sewed a trader’s style indian shirt for her grandson, Sherman. She thought she needed patterns to make clothes, but she was only kidding herself. No matter what pattern with which she started, she would modify and adjust to make the final product fit perfectly. She never seemed to notice the ending pattern only slightly resembled the beginning pattern.
She was a Girl Scout and continued the Scouting tradition as a Girl Scout leader, a Scoutmaster’s wife, and an Eagle Scout’s mother. If you know anything about the world of Scouting, you know those are each jobs within themselves. She was a member of AmVets and the American Legion. She held a position as a realtor at Century 21. She worked at Jimmy’s Market and as a gas station attendant. She earned an A.A. degree in bookkeeping and kept the books for The River Academy. She loved the outdoors, spending time in the woods, and gardening. Judy could knit and crochet, make stained glass, solve word games, and put together jigsaw puzzles.
There is no one description that could possibly begin to describe who Judy was. If you want to know her, look in the eyes of her husband that misses her, her grandchildren that adored her, her son and daughter that came to be with her in her final days. Look at her youngest son bereft at her loss and her daughter who was always proud to point to Judy as the reason she herself was strong. Look to friends of old vintage and new, because she never stopped making friends.
She is preceded in death by her father Jesse D. Reeves, mother Nina J. Kilgore, second father Royal Kilgore, and grandson Sherman M. Broxson.
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Jesse and Marie Reeves, nephews Kenny Reeves and Calvin Reeves, sister and brother-in-law Carrie and Allen Phillips, nephews Lloyd Strahan and Lonnie Strahan, sister Ruth Reeves, and nieces Brandy Reese and Cherie Perez, and other grand neices and nephews.
Her spirit lives on in her son and daughter-in-law John H. Meir, II and Melinda Meir, grandson Michael Meir, son Jeffrey Meir, grandchildren Sara Rodriguez, Kyle Meir, and Caitlin Riccio, great grandchildren of their origin, daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Michael Broxson, grandchildren Myranda Singletary, Sherman Broxson and Jenna Broxson, and son Jesse Meir.
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