Judith Allyn Beal
SUN CITY – March 26, 1937 – December 16, 2019 Judy passed peacefully on December 16, 2019 in Sun City, AZ surrounded by family. Born to Alice and Charles Sanford in Detroit, Michigan, she was the older sister to brother David and sister Carole. Judy spent her youth in Jackson and Kalamazoo, MI. During high school, she excelled at academics and the arts—even winning a United Nations visit to meet Eleanor Roosevelt. Judy attended Oberlin College where she met and married her husband, David Beal (deceased), while an undergraduate there. Judy and David began a family, living briefly in Indiana and Iowa before settling in Omaha, NE in 1962. Ten years later, the family relocated to Edina, MN, where she created lifelong connections with a wonderful group of friends and neighbors. Judy finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where she went on to complete graduate coursework in art history and museology. In both Omaha and Edina, Judy actively volunteered in the public schools, teaching Junior Great Books and Art History for many years. A devoted and enthusiastic attendee and supporter of the Guthrie Theater, The Minnesota Symphony, The Walker Art Center, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and The Minnesota Arboretum, Judy shared her passion for art, music, literature, and nature with limitless joy. She fondly remembered both travels and discussions with her book club of over forty years standing. She was also an active member of the Plymouth Church in Minneapolis.
Retiring in Arizona, after nineteen years as a receptionist at a Minneapolis law firm, Judy was delighted by the prospect of year-round outdoor swimming, the freedom to take classes and explore the desert, and the colorful blooms of her new bougainvillea-filled patio garden—often dispatching updates about the quail families that would nest there. She became active with the Church of the Palms, where she discovered a loving and progressive congregation of dear friends. She was a life-long learner, engaging her curious mind in theological studies, local Arizona history, and happily partaking in two Sun City book groups.
Judy is survived by her children, John S. Beal and his wife, Susan Harvell, of Idaho Falls, ID, Andrew A. Beal and his wife, Kathy Beal, of Fairfield, CT, Rebecca L. Beal and her wife, Jennifer Sexton, of La Honda, CA, and James B. Beal and his wife, Heather Beal, of San Francisco, CA. Additionally, she is survived by her cherished grandchildren, Carly L. Nelson and her husband, James Nelson, of Belle Plaine, MN, David R. Beal and his wife, Amber Beal, of Eden Prairie, MN, Gwendolyn A. Beal of New York City, Juliana L. Beal of Fairfield, CT and Gregory L. Beal of Fairfield, CT, Kylie S. Beal of Idaho Falls, ID and her much-loved great grandchildren, Caleb M. Nelson, Alexander J. Nelson, Riley J. Beal, and Harrison J. Beal. She is also survived by her sister, Carol R. Sherman of La Mesa, CA. Her brother David O. Sanford preceded her in death.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, January 11th at 1:00 pm at The Church of The Palms at 14808 N. Boswell Blvd. in Sun City, Arizona. Donations may be made to the Church of the Palms, National Public Radio, or other charity of one’s choosing.