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Judith (Judy) Andelman, 1941–2026
Judy Andelman, a lifelong teacher and the emotional center of her family, died on February 18, 2026 surrounded by those she loved.
Born on September 16, 1941 to Saul and Lillian White in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Judy lived in Methuen until high school with her parents and older sister, Gayle. From an early age, she was known for her skinny ankles and her precocious mind — so precocious, in fact, that she received a double-promotion after kindergarten, skipping first grade as her sister Gayle insisted on playing school at home and teaching her to read and do math. Judy had her appendix taken out in grade school, loved hopscotch and Monopoly, and was active in the local Jewish community.
In the 1950s, Judy moved to Andover and attended Andover High School, where she was a drum majorette. In her junior-year school show, she boldly performed a duet of “Gimme a Little Kiss” with a senior boy, ending with a real kiss on stage. She became salutatorian of her class, graduating at age 16. She then attended Wellesley College, where she was a French major. When her professors urged her to spend the summer in France, her parents were nervous. The head of the French department met with Saul and persuaded him to let her go. Judy spent three months studying and traveling, including hitchhiking around the country with French boys, unbeknownst to her anxious, asthmatic mother, who had sent her off at Logan Airport saying, “I’ll wheeze the whole time you’re gone.” Thus began Judy’s lifelong love of all things French.
After graduating from Wellesley at age 20, Judy got a job teaching French and math at Waltham Junior High, instructing students only a few years younger than she was. She lived on Everett Street in Harvard Square with friends. During these years, she met the love of her life, Freddie. They were fixed up by their dear friends Bobbi and Steve Paris. On their first date, Judy fainted. Freddie said it was because of the passion between them; Judy said it was because he smelled. Bobbi was determined they would end up together and invited them to play bridge. The rest was history.
Shortly after the untimely death of her beloved father, Judy and Freddie were married at ages 23 and 26. Their first apartment was in Brighton, where they hosted sing-alongs featuring Freddie on guitar and their self-published mimeographed songbook, It’s Fun Time with Fred and Judy. While living there, Judy began teaching at Bigelow Junior High in Newton. When she became pregnant with their daughter Debbie, they bought a house at 36 Nickerson Road in Chestnut Hill, where they lived for many decades.
With their young children, Debbie and Stevie, Judy and Freddie spent many happy weekends, vacations, and summers at their house in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire—swimming, hiking, and playing tennis and board games. In Newton, they enjoyed many fun times and holidays with friends, as well as with Gayle and her children, Jonathan, Douglas, and Kenny Quinn. As a couple, they were content in their little den with books, Fudgsicles, and television. Freddie made Judy laugh constantly and simply worshipped her. Their love was palpable, and everyone who knew them saw them as an iconic couple and formidable team.
After a stint at home with Debbie and Stevie, Judy returned to teaching French at Bigelow in the early 1970s. She taught at Bigelow and Day Junior High in Newton for the rest of her 35-year career, where she was known for her high standards, sharp wit, and dedication to her students. She was beloved by students and faculty alike and known as a “teachers’ teacher.” When Spanish became increasingly popular, Judy went back to night school to study it while teaching full-time, later teaching primarily French and occasionally Spanish alongside friends Yvonne Davey and Maria Procopio.
Judy was deeply involved in the Newton Teachers’ Association, eventually becoming vice president. She and Freddie were also active in local politics, working to defeat Proposition 2½ and supporting candidates who championed public education and fair pay for teachers. She remained an avid political volunteer throughout her life, making calls and supporting Democratic candidates endorsed by her union locally and nationally.
Tragedy struck when Judy was 55 and Freddie was diagnosed with ALS. She shined in a caregiver role, and after his death at age 62, devoted herself to helping other families facing the disease. With her daughter Debbie, Judy raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for ALS research over the next two decades through “Freddie’s Team,” an annual walk and fundraising effort that became a celebration of Freddie’s life and a gathering point for family and friends.
Following Freddie’s death, Judy created another full, meaningful chapter for herself. Her greatest joy in her later years was her role as an especially active grandmother to Eliza, Jeremy, and Danny. She played endless games, read stacks of books, hosted sleepovers, and showed up for every recital, game, and school play. She took the grandchildren on special trips, hosted annual Valentine’s Day scavenger hunts, and taught them to read at age three. She was a constant presence in their lives—someone their friends, teachers, and coaches all knew by name.
In retirement, Judy also traveled the world with friends Bobbi Paris and Carole Siegel, participated in the Jewish Film and Book Festivals, played bridge, and remained engaged in politics and current events. She went to symphonies, museums, theater, and films, and never missed a minute of MSNBC.
She kept Freddie’s memory alive by visiting his grave, toasting him at family gatherings, and hosting Passover seders, Yom Kippur break-fasts, and Hanukkah dinners. Her table was filled with noodle kugel, brisket, matzo ball soup, apricot chicken, American chop suey, grilled cheese, omelettes, and Jello.
Every summer, Judy returned to Ogunquit, Maine with her family and friends – including Uncle Eddie White and his family, and dear friends Jane and Lenny Ansin – walking the Marginal Way, eating blueberry muffins, and spending long days at the beach. An avid library user and lifelong reader, she would take out towering stacks of books each summer for herself and her grandchildren. She could always be found reading in the same spot on the beach, bundled in layers of towels and blankets. Judy was always cold, often wearing a puffy coat at 60 degrees, long underwear in any season, and her beloved Juilliard gloves indoors.
Fiercely determined and loyal, the things Judy loved, she loved. She greatly enjoyed the restaurant scene in Newton, especially Davio’s and Bernard’s. She once threatened to petition to bring chicken livers back onto the menu at Davio’s and frequently traded emails with the owner, who wrote about her in his book It’s All About the Guest. She was proud to be greeted by name and shown to her preferred table, pre-set with the black napkins she liked. She ate yogurt with blueberries for lunch nearly every day, adored hazelnut gelato, and never lost her taste for Boston Baked Beans and Necco Wafers.
But far more than food, Judy loved her family. In addition to treasuring time with her parents, sister, children, and grandchildren, on her mother’s side, she relished the term coined by her nephew Kenny to describe her identity as one of the “Strong Rosengard Women.” She regularly gathered with Debbie and beloved Rosengard cousins Janie and Linda Weiner, as well as Ann White Greenawalt, forming a close-knit family circle.
In 2023, Judy moved into a memory care facility as she declined with dementia. She died of Alzheimer’s in 2026 at age 84, surrounded by family and friends who loved her in every phase of her life. She was predeceased by her parents Saul and Lillian, her husband Freddie, and her sister Gayle. She is survived by her children, Debbie (Abram) and Steve (Olga), her grandchildren, Eliza, Jeremy, and Daniel, and many loving nephews, cousins, friends, and coworkers. Her love, her voice, and her devotion to her family and friends will be missed beyond words.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Judy’s memory either to:
- “Judy and Freddie’s Team,” a revival of our family’s “Freddie’s Team” efforts to raise money for ALS research.
- Her beloved teacher’s union, which she supported tirelessly during her decades of teaching in Newton.
Services will be held at Temple Ohabei Shalom, 1187 Beacon Street, Brookline on Sunday February 22 at 10 AM. Services will be streamed at https://www.ohabei.org/live-stream/. Burial at Sharon Memorial Park, 120 Canton Street, Sharon will follow the service. Shiva will be held at 20 Stearns Street, Cambridge on Sunday 4-6 pm, Monday 5-8 pm, Tuesday 5-8 pm. On Sunday, there are no parking restrictions in Cambridge. For Monday and Tuesday, the City of Cambridge has provided a parking dispensation within a two block radius of our house. And/or, there is a free public lot at the Cambridge Montessori School/St. Peters Park, a 5 min walk from the shiva, at the intersection of Walden and Garden Streets.
