Julia Ann Wadley (nee Connors) passed into the arms of God on February 18, 2025, at Fleet Landing Assisted Living surrounded by three generations of her loving family. Judy was 87 years old. Born to Julia and Daniel Connors on November 11, 1937, Judy was raised in the Irish section of Troy, New York, with most of her extended family in close proximity. With deep family roots in County Kerry, Judy was proud of her Irish heritage her entire life and was famous for the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations she hosted in each of the three states in which she resided. Renowned for her quick wit and poise, Judy was equal to every situation.
In her younger years, Judy excelled at both athletics and academics and capped her high school career as Prom Queen at Lansingburg High School. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Russell Sage Women’s College in Troy in 1959 where she captained the lacrosse team. Formerly married to James Wadley, together they raised their four children, Debra Malloy, Kathleen Monahan, Nancy Pfotenhauer and Daniel Wadley.
Once her children were in school, Judy went back to teaching in Bernardsville, New Jersey, furthering her education and becoming a special education teacher and reading specialist. Eventually earning two master’s degrees and completing all the coursework for her doctorate, Judy’s passion was teaching which she did for more than 40 years. Although she cared deeply for all her students, Judy had a special heart for those for whom English was a second language. In fact, Judy delayed her retirement several times because she had “one more group of kids” who weren’t going to pass their senior exams without the individualized attention she gave them, along with the confidence to believe in themselves. Letters from these grateful students and their parents were some of her most cherished possessions. Judy’s devotion to both her craft and her students earned her the Governor’s Teacher Recognition Award for Excellence in Education.
Judy didn’t restrict her engagement to the classroom. She was active in the community, volunteering and running the recreation programs in Bedminster Township. And, much to her children’s delight and spouse’s chagrin, she was a community chairperson for the local girl scouting organization which entailed running the annual cookie sales program for many years. When her daughters reached high school, Judy became the cheerleading advisor in Bernardsville with the stated strategy of “why not get paid to watch my children?” With her knowledge and background in athletics, this frequently led to spirited interactions with those refereeing basketball, wrestling and football, resulting in at least one technical violation.
Judy loved flowers, swimming, reading and cooking amazing food for her family and friends. Toward the end of her life, you could always engage her on menus for holiday meals, birthday parties, and the best main dishes for each season of the year. One of the treasured belongings of each of her children and grandchildren is a cookbook of Judy’s recipes, lovingly catalogued with her sayings and pictures by two of her nieces.
In addition to her four children, Judy is survived by 12 of the luckiest grandchildren on earth, eight great grandchildren, one nephew and many nieces. She is pre-deceased by her parents, sister Jean, brother James and her daughter-in-law Melissa. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Thursday, February 27th at 11am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 2400 Mayport Road in Atlantic Beach, Florida followed by a graveside service at Ponte Vedra Valley memorial garden. Judy’s family sends their heartfelt thanks to the loving care providers at Northpoint in Fleet Landing.
