David Edward Judge

JUDGE, BRANDMILL, HAYDEN, IHNS, POETTGEN, MCNAMARA, YOSHINO, RUTZ, HUNTINGTON

Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 5/9/2023 at 11:52:23

David Edward Judge passed away peacefully on April 18, 2023 — after a long, brave fight with kidney disease — knowing he was deeply loved by his family.

He was 60 years young.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday April 30, 2023, at 3:00 PM at Walden Place, 2423 Walden Road, Iowa City. A funeral and burial will take place on Sunday, May 28, 2023, at the Elma Iowa United Methodist Church.

David was a true gentle giant, known for his love of plants, flowers, birds, ocean life, and, indeed, all things under (and beyond) the sun. He had a lust for life and an appreciation of all things beautiful. In addition to nature and landscapes, Dave loved pottery, art, jewelry, good food, and people. He was a lifelong learner with an interest in people, art fairs, craft shows, and museums.

Born Dec. 2, 1962, he spent his childhood exploring the ocean shores and redwood forests surrounding San Francisco with his four siblings. Trips to the mountains and waters of the Pacific Northwest nurtured a lifelong love of nature.

After moving to Iowa in 1977, he grew to love the prairies, flowers, and wildlife of the Midwest, graduating from Mason City High School in 1981 and from North Iowa Community College, with a degree in horticulture and landscaping in 1983. He was a longtime employee at Systems Unlimited (direct-care professional), Goodwill (job coach), and Mercy Hospital (housekeeping) in Iowa City.

Dave was green before green was cool. A pioneer on many fronts, he joined the Environmental Defense Fund decades ago and was committed to its work on climate change, ecosystem restoration, oceans, and human health. He loved Jacques Cousteau and all aquatic creatures great and small.

Dave was also an advocate for LGBTQ rights, coming out to his family and close friends in the late 1980s — a decade before Ellen! His longtime partner Roger was a close member of the family in the 1990s, joining us for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays and birthdays wherever we gathered.

Dave had many talents and gifts. He appreciated all things beautiful and reminded others to pay attention to the plants, flowers, trees, birds — the nature — that surrounds us. He enjoyed talking with friends about the medicinal properties of plants and taught his newfound friends at Walden Place how to make terrariums.

From the time Dave was a kid, he always had a pet—gerbils, parakeets, frogs, snakes, turtles. One summer, he took his pet rat on a camping trip and swam with him in the lake; he once built an aviary for his pet cockatoo and decided to free his pet parakeet; his dog Bennie became a member of the family.

Dave was a gifted potter; a lover of art shows and estate sales and it showed in the tasteful jewelry he wore and the beautiful trinkets nestled between the lush green plants that filled his apartment. He was never bored due to his many interests.

Dave was playful with friends and family and had a great sense of humor. He laughed with his head thrown back and his eyes closed which was charming and infectious. Despite this, he had a tendency toward pessimism and was lovingly teased for his knack for the back-handed compliment. “Unlike last time,” he’d say, “this steak is prepared perfectly!”

He was always up for an adventure (especially if it involved an orchid show, botanical garden, or art exhibit). For a time he worked in Colorado and Texas, and visited much of the U.S., including D.C., Los Angeles, and New York. He was also both fortunate and brave enough to travel with family to Japan and Europe.

He loved our family reunions every Memorial Day in Elma, Iowa, where we'd gather on the expansive front lawn of the Century Farm with the descendants of his grandparents Ruth & Dinny Brandmill, along with the Hayden and Ihns families.

Dave showed up at most every family event. He helped take care of nieces, nephews, and grandparents, attending scores of weddings, christenings, and graduations throughout the years. He was even there at the moment of death for his two older brothers, Steve and John, a great solace for them and the family.

Dave battled kidney disease half his life, but it never interfered with his capacity to love. He had total renal failure in 2003, and underwent a successful kidney transplant with his brother Mike at the age of 40, which gave him 20 more years with us, the past six back on dialysis and suffering its often-brutal side effects.

If Dave had a theme song, it was “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” written by Bob Russell and Bobby Scott and first recorded in 1969 by Kelly Gordon and later made famous by The Hollies (see the full lyrics below). He was known to break out singing the first verse, without warning, in his silly, signature vibrato: “The road is loooooong, with a maaanyyy a wiiiindinnng tuuuuurnnnn! ”

A brother to all, our sweet David will be deeply mourned and greatly missed.

He is survived by his mother, June Judge of Iowa City and his step-mother, Mary Lou Poettgen Judge of Laguna Hills, CA. He is also lovingly remembered by his sister Katherine Judge (Nick McNamara) of Madison, WI; his brother Michael Judge (Masae Yoshino) of Iowa City; three nieces: Kristin (Jason) Rutz, Lindsay Huntington and Audrey McNamara; three nephews: Aidan McNamara, Mikey McNamara and Max Judge. Dave was great-uncle to Jack, Eva, Tommy, Tanner and Tatum and a beloved cousin, nephew, and friend to many.

David was preceded in death by his father Thomas E. Judge; two brothers: Steven Thomas Judge and John Dinsmore Judge; and sister-in-law Diane Marie Judge.

In lieu of flowers and in honor of Dave's lifelong love of nature, please consider a donation in David's memory to The Nature Conservancy in Iowa, 505 5th Avenue, Suite 630, Des Moines, IA 50309. Phone: 515-244-5044. Email: iowa@tnc.org

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
The road is long
With a many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another
It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

These two essays help tell the story of Dave, his fierce battle with kidney disease, and how much his family loved him:
The Poetry of Plants and Transplants by Michael Judge
Are you there? Yes I'm here by Michael Judge

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