Judith Buxton

Obituary

Judith Buxton died quietly and peacefully on March 15 while surrounded by her family.  Judy felt that she and her husband “Pete” had lived several lives because of their many adventures during 38 years together.

Judy was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on October 10, 1944.  She attended high school both in Germany (during her father’s posting with the Canadian Army in the Chaplain’s Corp) and in Victoria, British Columbia.  She attended post secondary school at the University of Victoria, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology, and later, after moving to Alberta, a Master’s degree in Archaeology from the University of Alberta.  She conducted archaeological survey work and excavations on the West Coast and in the Maritimes.

Judy and her then husband bought a farm near Ottawa where she raised a trio of daughters.  Judy also had her own flock of sheep, mainly for their wool, taught spinning workshops on her farm, and researched and published the book Selected Canadian Spinning Wheels in Perspective: An Analytic Approach, now in its second printing with the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa

After leaving the Ottawa area, Judy worked as a free–lance writer and editor in Toronto (for a time with her own business, The Final Word) followed by employment with the Ontario Crafts Council and, later, with the Ontario government in communications (earning many awards) and teaching plain language.

After taking early retirement with Peter, they moved to a house in Walters Falls.  A few short years later they moved into a unfinished timber frame house near Berkeley, which they completed largely with their own hands.  During that period Judy also worked as a curator at the South Grey Museum.  They later bought a home in Southampton, close enough to a beach so Judy could walk to the water before her coffee got cold.

In Southampton, Judy joined the curling club, the Bruce Birding Club (becoming an enthusiastic birder), enjoyed both cycling and walking with her friends, re-wilding her yard and kayaking with Peter in her beloved, red, canvas-covered foldable kayak – their most memorable journeys being in Killarney Park.

Judy leaves behind three sisters and a brother, three adult children from a previous marriage, two adult children from Peter’s previous marriage, and their families, including eight grandchildren.  This family was everything to Judy.  And Judy was, and will remain, everything to us.

Details to follow regarding a funeral service and celebration of life to take place in August.