Judy Carol (Belt) Ibezim (1964-2021)
On Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, Judy Carol (Belt) Ibezim joined God’s heavenly choir.
Judy was born on July 4, 1964, in Colt, and has been a firecracker ever since. She was the eighth child born to Future Mae and Joe L. Belt. She received early Christian training at her home church of Jericho Church of God in Christ. She graduated from Forrest City High School, and then she attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications and participated in ROTC.
Judy married Willie Ibezim on July 19, 1989, and together they had five loving daughters, Angelica (Fortney), Audrey, Ayolah, Arlinda and Arniece. They remember her as a bright, passionate woman with fiery resolve. As a mother, she emphasized education and encouraged creative exploration. She was a deeply faithful woman who ensured her children were involved in practically everything church had to offer, from dance, to step to choir. She attended Greater Community Temple in Memphis for over 20 years and served on the missionary board, sang in choir, directed the children's choir, and even started a puppet ministry.
After a stint in the Army Signal Corp, Judy went on to nursing school (obtaining her RN and BSN) and used her training in various settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, home health, and even teaching. She loved the challenge that nursing brought and excelled before mental health struggles caused her to retire. However, while nursing was her career, music was her passion. Judy recorded an EP of original songs and performed throughout the tri-state area. She could often be heard singing while performing household tasks and continued recording music into her later years.
Judy's transition to ancestor reunited her with her parents; her brothers, Robert Patrick Belt and Ronald Clint Belt; and her sister, Charlotte Belt Falls.
Among those still here to honor her memory are her husband, her five children, her five remaining sisters, Beverly Bynum, Velerie Key, Vashti Belt, Pamela Taylor and Francelia Hamilton; her five remaining brothers Joe Belt Jr., Emmanuel Belt, Carl Belt, George Belt, and Keith Belt; her aunts, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. She will be deeply missed.
Visitation will be Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, from noon until 2 p.m., in the chapel of Miles Mortuary.
A graveside service for Judy Carol Belt Ibezim, 57, of Memphis, formerly of the Colt Community, will be Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, at approximately 2:30 p.m., at the Belt Family Cemetery in the Colt Community with Pastor Lincoln Taylor delivering the eulogy.
Miles Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements.