BOOTHBAY — Judy Ann Brzytwa Burgess, 83, passed away peacefully at home on Barters Island, Boothbay, Maine, surrounded by her family on September 16, 2025.

Born September 22, 1941, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Virginia R. Austin and Edward J. Brzytwa, Judy grew up in Berea, Ohio, recalling happy memories with her brother, John, and sisters, Cynthia, Mary, and Nanette, good friends, and her extended family in the Cleveland area.

Judy’s early babysitting career included a trip to Los Angeles along Route 66 with Lou “the Toe” Groza and his family for the 1958 Pro Bowl. Always more interested in music than football, Judy recalled seeing Ike and Tina Turner perform as a lounge act at The Sands when they stopped in Las Vegas, and, in the Copa Room, she met Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack who came to shake hands with Groza, NFL’s 1957 scoring leader.

Judy graduated from Berea High School in 1959 and attended Baldwin Wallace and Kent State Universities. During college she lived in Pompano Beach, Florida, for two summers where she lived in a beachside bungalow and waited tables at Howard Johnson’s to support her activity as one of the first female SCUBA divers. Judy also worked as a roller-skating carhop and, in a holiday job, dressed up as an elf for Higbee's Department Store, the filming location for Ralphie’s Santa visit in A Christmas Story.

Judy became an educator, following in her parents’ footsteps. Her first teaching role at Louisa May Alcott School in Cleveland was very special to her in part because it allowed her to spend more time with her dad, principal at a nearby school, during lunch and their commute from Berea.

Judy was accepted to serve in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, but due to a dangerous political climate, declined the opportunity. Instead of Africa, she ended up in Boothbay, Maine, first for a summer, then returning in 1966 to teach at the East Boothbay School and at Head Start. Introduced by mutual teacher friends, she and Alan Burgess, then teacher and principal at the Boothbay Center School, fell in love and married in April 1975. Judy and Alan enjoyed a short honeymoon in Williamsburg, Virginia, and a longer trip to Europe that summer. They recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.

Judy and Alan’s children, Matt and Sarah, benefitted from the years Judy stayed at home to nurture them. Judy’s parents and her sisters Cindy and Nan had since moved to Maine, too, and formed many more happy family memories. They particularly enjoyed time spent at Lake Webb in Weld. Judy loved gardening, flowers, photography, reading, and getting together with family and friends. Judy, with her siblings, provided loving support to her parents as her dad struggled with Parkinson’s; he passed away in 1991.

In the early 1980s, after staying home with Matt and Sarah, Judy ran a nursery school, followed by her return to the school system with a junior high teaching role at Boothbay Region Elementary School. Judy and Alan taught next door to each other and were known to pass love notes under the folding wall until a first-grade teaching position opened up - a more suitable match given Judy’s gentle nature and passion for early elementary reading and writing. Judy’s love of learning was part of what made her such a special teacher - she was endlessly curious about the people and world around her, and, in a more formal feat of learning, Judy earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Maine in 2000.

Upon retiring from BRES in 2004, Judy spent more time with her mother, Ginny, who passed in 2006, created and sold jewelry at craft fairs with her daughter, and enjoyed traveling with Alan, especially to visit family in Cleveland, and to see their kids in places like Nashville, Kansas City, and Montana. She volunteered at the Boothbay Historical Society and enjoyed new friends and community service as an active member of the Boothbay Region Garden Club. Despite her dread of public speaking, Judy challenged herself, serving as BRGC’s president for two years. As Judy wrapped up her duties as president, her beloved granddaughter, Penelope, was born. Judy was an exceptional Gramma, instilling a love of books, the natural world, and modeling how to be a wonderful human.

In the last two years, Judy struggled with complex medical issues and the passing of their eccentric dog, Otis, but maintained her sweet disposition until the very end as Alan provided her with devoted and loving care with support from an excellent hospice team.

She is survived by husband Alan; son, Matt, and his wife, Amanda; daughter, Sarah, and granddaughter, Penelope; brother, John Brzytwa, and his wife, Ellen; sister Cynthia Rawnsley, and husband, Don; sister Nan Austin, and husband Frank Cook; as well as many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.

She was preceded in death by her sister Mary (Dennis) Gammon.

Judy was an advocate of the BRGC Scholarship for local students; donations in her memory can be made at boothbayregiongardenclub.org/donate or sent to BRGC, PO Box 113, Boothbay, Maine 04537.

The public is welcome to stop in as we celebrate Judy’s life on Sunday, October 12, between 1 and 4 p.m., at the Barters Island Community Hall.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Hall Funeral Home, Boothbay. To extend a condolence or share a story with the Burgess family, please visit Judy’s Book of Memories at www.hallfuneralhomes.com