Judith Boothby

Bangor - Judith White Boothby died April 11, 2023. She was born July 7, 1935 in Bangor to John and Margaret White and she grew up in the home her parents built.
With her brother, Ralph she attended the Unitarian Sunday School. At age 12 Judy danced a recital solo for the Polly Thomas School of dance where she studied from age seven through high school. She described the work as “75 minutes of grueling exactitude for ten minutes of moving with reckless abandon.” She loved it.
She was also a member of the YMCA synchronized swim team.
In the summer of 1952, through the American Field Service (AFS), Judy spent a month each in The Netherlands and Belgium. Getting to know people and their ways was an endless fascination. Judy graduated from Bangor High School in 1953 and kept lifelong friendships with her classmates.
Judy attended the University of Maine at Orono, studying modern languages and was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority. She graduated in 1957 and earned her teaching certificate shortly thereafter.
While at UMO she met Charlie Boothby of Livermore. They were married in February, 1958 at the Universalist Society of Bangor during a slush storm. They settled in Portland, but soon Charlie was drafted, and Judy was hired to teach French and Civics at Leavitt Institute in Turner. “My first teaching job was a bit like being ring master for a semi-motivated circus.”
When Charlie was posted to Atlanta, Judy was hired to teach French in the Atlanta schools. Upon returning to Maine in 1960, she taught at the Waynflete School. Their first son, Tim was born in April, 1961. They moved to Belfast and welcomed two more boys, Andy and Paul. Judy was “Mommy at home” and volunteered in the community to get her “brain out of the diaper pail.”
They moved to Winthrop and Judy volunteered with the new AFS chapter, making arrangements for visiting students. Judy was hired by the Maine State Commission on the Arts to be Coordinator for the Dance Touring Program of the National Endowment for the Arts. She was thrilled with the opportunity.
The family attended All Souls Unitarian Church in Augusta, and Judy worked with Wende Frutchy to compose and perform liturgical dance for worship services.
In 1977 they moved to Chantilly, Virginia as Charlie was working in D.C. Judy gave workshops for her sons’ drama classes for how to fall on stage properly. She earned her realtor’s license and discovered that “the world of business is just as full of eccentrics as the world of the arts.”
She served many leadership roles at the Fairfax Unitarian Church including the Governing Board and supervising ministerial interns. The church was a great support when her oldest son, Tim was diagnosed and later died of Hodgkin’s Disease.
2000 brought retirement and return to Bangor. Judy was active with the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, served on the Board of Bangor Ballet and as President of the Quipus. Judy and Charlie were Troop Greeters at BIA. She was a bright soul and will be sorely missed.

Judy was predeceased by her parents, John William White and Margaret (Fellows) White, her sons, Timothy Edward Boothby and Andrew Charles Boothby, and her husband, Charles Laurence Boothby.
She is survived by her brother, Ralph Fellows White and his wife Joni Averill White, son Paul John Boothby and his wife Krista Lianne Morrow Boothby, and grandson, Taylor Andrew Boothby.

A celebration of her life will be held Friday, June 2nd, 2023 at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor. Memorial gifts may be made to UU Society of Bangor, 120 Park Street, or the Bangor Ballet, 193 Union Street, Bangor.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.