Judy Smith Nelson

September 22, 1940 – October 6, 2016

Judy Smith Nelson was born on Sept. 22, 1940 in Los Angeles, California, and was released to begin her next journey on Oct. 6 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For many years she was a resident of Bainbridge Island, Washington. She will be remembered and celebrated for her giga-watt smile, musical laughter, and her uncanny ability to change the lives of all who were lucky enough to have known her. In addition to all the joy and love she brought to the world, she had a mouth on her that would make a pirate proud. If she never told you to go “eff” yourself, you were likely not on her list of favorite people. 

Her decades-long work as a motion picture production coordinator involved being, in her words, the “organizational ego” for some of the all-time great Hollywood directors, including the likes of Hal Ashby, John Schlesinger, and Steven Spielberg. She got her start in Hollywood in 1962, working for Steve Allen’s Westinghouse Theatre. Mr. Allen made sure Judy was always present in the audience during taping because her laughter was so infectious. She produced “School House Rock” for ABC Saturday Morning Television.

Her greatest joy in life was helping people organize themselves and their surroundings. This often included insuring that their space was filled with flowers.

She will be deeply missed by her two sisters, Helene and Bunny; her brother-in-law, Dick; her many nieces and nephews; and countless friends whose lives were changed for the better for having stood in her light.