Obituary of JoAnn Free Judah

Mrs. JoAnn Free Judah, a resident of Ozark, died Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at her home following an extended illness. She was 86 years old. Funeral services for Mrs. Judah will be graveside 11:00 A.M. Friday, April 29, 2022, in Woodlawn Memory Gardens with Reverend Dr. Billy D. Gaither officiating. Holman Funeral Home and Cremations of Ozark directing. Visitation to follow. Mrs. Judah was born May 11, 1935 in Dale County, Alabama to the late Loyce Malcolm Free and Ruby Jewel Davis Free. She graduated from Dale County High School in 1953 where she was very active and served as a majorette. She had many close friends that were her BFFs and shared a lifetime of friendships. Following graduation, she married her high school sweetheart, Durwood Judah. She was a dedicated and loving wife who supported her husband through his years of playing professional baseball and careers in the Air Force, as well as, the insurance, television, and water industries. While raising their five children, she enthusiastically served her community in many ways, including being a lifelong active member of the Ozark Presbyterian Church where she served as a Vacation Bible school leader, nursery worker, and as a member of the WIC (Women in the Church) Circle group. She took great pride in watching her children and grandchildren excel in their many endeavors. One of the many joys of her life was traveling to interesting places with her husband and family. She felt that God’s plan for her life was that of being a homemaker, being in a home that she loved and being a mother which she thought was the highest calling and the most rewarding job in the world. She stressed to always put God first in your life and everything else would fall into place. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She was a gentle soul and touched the lives of all who knew her. She was proud of her family, church, and her heritage. One of her favorite sayings was, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Samuel Durwood Judah, Sr.; brother and sister-in-law Larry and Janice Free, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Aubrey and Kathleen Leatherwood, Herman and Fannie Rae Judah, Tom Wynn, Max Leatherwood, and Lydia Naomi Judah. Survivors include her sons, Sammy Judah (Susan) of Ozark and Chris Judah of Dothan; daughters, Joanie Smith (Bill) of Ozark, Charlotte McDaniel (Mike) of Echo and Amy Jackson (Eugene) of Ozark; grandchildren, Sam Judah (Katy Jane), Jenna Strickland (Byron), Cherie Humphrey (Matt), Laura-Ashley Bynum (Mason), Josh Ivey (Rachel), Justin Ivey, Adam Jackson (Mary) and Breanna Jackson Merritt (Zach); great grandchildren, Charlie Strickland, Vivian Strickland, Olivia-Grace Harper, Bentleigh-Layne Bynum, Amelia-Clayre Bynum, Annaleigh Ivey and Easton Ivey; She is also survived by her sister-in-law Angela Leatherwood and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members and friends. Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made in her memory to the Samuel Durwood and JoAnn Judah Memorial Endowment Scholarship, The University of Alabama Alumni Association – give.ua.edu --- Or to the charitable organization of your choice.