Judith Anne Tough

Judy Tough passed away peacefully April 4, 2025 surrounded by family. Kind beyond measure, sweet and compassionate to all she met, Judy didn’t have a “mean bone” in her body. She was the kind of person who cared deeply for people, particularly children, whom she devoted her life and career to. Very recently preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Jim Tough, the loss of him was perhaps too much to bear.

Born in Chicago, she attended The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she graduated with a degree in early childhood education. Directly after graduation, Jim and Judy married and moved to Seattle, where Judy began her career teaching kindergarten until their first daughter, Jackie, was born.

When Jim accepted a position as a professor of physics at Ohio State University, the family moved to Columbus, Ohio, where the couple’s second daughter, Jennifer, was born. In Columbus, Judy’s passion and interest in progressive education was ignited, and for the next few decades, her career focused on non-traditional educational models such as democratic schools and open classrooms.

Over the years she visited Summerhill School in England (the original democratic school) along with progressive schools in Japan. As one of the original teachers at the School for Young Children in Columbus, she put theory into practice. She guided hundreds of children to future success by teaching compassion for all people paired with personal responsibility. Later, her teaching career led to the educational non-profit sector when she worked for Action for Children, an organization that helped working parents find reliable childcare.

Judy embraced time spent with her husband, daughters, lifelong friends, and her beloved only grandchild, Pearl. She loved travel, and together with her husband traveled the world. They visited almost every continent, spending time in China, Turkey, Guatemala, and Tunisia, along with many trips to Europe and Mexico. In addition, Judy and her family spent a year in St. Andrews, Scotland, when Jim was invited to collaborate in low-temperature physics research.

She loved reading, art, being outdoors, wildlife, jazz, children, poetry, and researching her family tree. A few years ago she was thrilled to discover that her family originally came to America on the Mayflower. A Unitarian Universalist for decades, she was a founding member of the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Port Townsend, WA, where the couple retired.

Tough is survived by beloved daughters Jennifer Tough Hemsley of Santa Fe, NM and Jackie Tough of Port Townsend, WA, son-in-law Todd Hemsley of Santa Fe, NM, beloved grandchild Pearl Hemsley of Santa Fe, NM, sister Diana Wiggins (Jake) of Ruidoso, NM, sister-in-law Kathleen Tough Tamarri (Fred), nieces Shannon Tamarri Stumm (Jim) and Lindsay Tamarri Kovacevich (Daniel) and their children Joseph, Grant and Reid Stumm and Sonia and Luke Kovacevich, all of Chicago, IL, along with friends from around the world.