Judith Wilcox

Judith Wilcox, 75, of Sarasota, passed away Saturday, March 3, 2018, at the Tidewell Hospice House in Sarasota. Judy was born on March 12, 1942 in Passaic, New Jersey to the late Virginia Robinson Harris Sheppard and Kenneth Harris. After graduating from Nutley High School and briefly attending Douglass College, Judy graduated from Montclair State College (now University) with a B.S. in Mathematics. Judy eventually obtained a Masters degree from Montclair State, and completed postgraduate work at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Columbia University, where she obtained her Doctorate in Education. Judy devoted her professional life to education. Starting out as a teacher in the Newark and Nutley, New Jersey school districts, Judy transitioned to school administration when she left Nutley to work for Montclair Public Schools. Ultimately she became an assistant principal at Montclair High School. From the high school, Judy went on to become principal of several elementary schools in Montclair before returning to the high school to serve as principal during the 1985-86 school year. Judy then transitioned to the Superintendent's Office, where she served as an assistant superintendent for several years. Judy then left Montclair to serve in a similar capacity for Jersey City Public Schools for a few years before ending her career as the Superintendent of Schools for Pleasantville Public Schools in Pleasantville, New Jersey. After retiring, Judy moved to Sarasota, or "Paradise" as she called it on her answering machine message. She was an active member of the Links and the Bethlehem Bible Church and met many wonderful people who became her closest friends. She also loved the theater and African American history, as well as traveling to Africa, China, the Middle East and many other places around the world. Judy also was very active in the formation of the Horizons Unlimited Christian Academy, which is an educational day care program run by the Bethlehem Bible Church. Judy is survived by her sons Gary Wilcox and Neil Wilcox, daughters-in-law Wendy Clarke Wilcox and Donna Ramsay-Wilcox, and her three grandchildren, Jonathan Ramsay Wilcox, Justin Clarke Wilcox and Hayley Lynne Wilcox. She was preceded in death by her parents, including her beloved stepfather, Harold Sheppard, her sister, Alice Harris Overby, a son, Kenneth Harris Wilcox, and a grandson, Matthew Warren Wilcox. A memorial celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Bethlehem Bible Church in Sarasota, with the Reverend Patrick Miller officiating. Immediately following the service, the family invites all who are able to join them for refreshments in the fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Horizons Unlimited Christian Academy, 2674 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Sarasota, Florida 34234.

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Judith Wilcox

March 12, 1942 - March 3, 2018