Judith Hill Kittredge
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Judy Kittredge, 89, of Lenox, formerly of Dalton, died in her sleep on August 10, 2021, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Daughter of Judith Brand and Kenneth Noyes Hill, she was born in Boston but grew up mainly in Dalton and Pittsfield, attending Redfield Elementary and Plunkett Junior High Schools. She then graduated from Miss Hall's School and Smith College (1953).
Judy was above all else a people person. She was famous for remembering everything, it seemed, about everyone she'd ever met and many she hadn't, and exactly how, amazingly often, they were connected. She was genuinely interested in people's lives.
That interest served her well in her role as a personnel manager at Harvard University, 1953-69. She was responsible for finding assistants and secretaries for faculty and administrators.
It was while at Harvard that Judy reconnected with her future husband, John Kittredge, also of Dalton and Pittsfield. Their first date was the famous 1968 Yale-Harvard football game in which Harvard, the underdog, scored 16 points in the final 42 seconds to tie the game. As the Harvard paper put it, "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29." John teased her about hiring the referees through her office at Harvard.
John was a very loyal Yalie. Nonetheless he and Judy were married the next year. They raised three children in Pittsfield and Dalton: Caroline Furey Kittredge of Sunapee, NH, Christopher John Kittredge (wife Nancy) of Falmouth, ME, and Judy Kittredge Anderson (husband Brian) of Reading, MA.
They helped to raise four stand-out granddaughters: Elizabeth Rose Kittredge Lovett of Watertown, MA, Isabelle Crane Kittredge Lovett of Concord, NH, Alice Wallis Kittredge of Bradenton, FL and Martha Jane Kittredge of Falmouth, ME.
Along the way, Judy volunteered with many Berkshire organizations, including the Zenas Crane Scholarship Fund. She served as a trustee of Miss Hall's and in various volunteer roles at Smith. She worked on the acid rain problem for the Berkshire Garden Club and was active in the 'T' Club. She was an ardent tennis player into her 80's and, until the day before she died, regularly rivaled the contestants on Jeopardy.
Judy is survived by her children, grandchildren and by her devoted sister, Lee Stookey (husband Byron) of Brattleboro, VT. She will be remembered fondly by the innumerable friends from all parts of her life including her neighbors in recent years at Kimball Farms Retirement Community.
Funeral Notice:
A celebration of Judy's life is planned for Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 11:00 at First Congregational Church of Dalton, where she and John were active members for many years. To best ensure everybody's health, due to the recent rise of Covid cases, all those attending the service will be required to wear a face mask. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires or Miss Hall's School, both in Pittsfield. Please visit www.dwyerfuneral.com to leave condolences and remembrances.