Judy died as a result of a car accident at the age of 19. She was born to her parents Johnnie and Ivy (Overton) Thompson in Tulare, California. She grew up from the age of 4 in Surprise, Arizona. She met James Jones in 1972 and they were married in Kanab, Utah that August. She and James were on their way home from work when they were hit by a large truck.