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Winnifred Byers Judge

Winnifred Byers “Winnie” Judge of Branford, passed away on Jan. 3, at the Connecticut Hospice, after a short illness. She was 97 years old. Winnifred was born Feb. 13, 1925, to Frederick and Marion (White) Judge, growing up with three brothers and a sister in Queens, New York City.

Winnifred received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Adelphi University and a master’s degree from the School of Education at New York University. She served as the head of the physical education department at the Riverdale Country School in Bronx, New York, retiring in 1977 due to diminishing eyesight. Winnifred was honored for her coaching successes at Riverdale with induction into the Ivy League Coaches Hall of Fame, the first woman to be so honored.

Winnifred’s family has been connected to Branford for five generations. After retiring, Winnie moved to Branford, where her mother had built a house in the mid-1950s, and lived there her remaining 46 years. Despite her vision loss and later hearing loss, Winnifred never actually “retired.” Supported by a series of wonderful guide dogs, she was incredibly active in the local community for most of those 46 years. She was a member of the Branford Garden Club for over 35 years and active in the Branford Historical Society since 1978, including, of particular note, the annual Strawberry Festival. In addition, she was a longtime member of the Linden Shore District Association. Winnifred was instrumental in the creation of the Branford Green Committee, which took on the task of maintaining and improving the Green. She served as its chair for 11 years. Committed to celebrating the history of Branford, Winnifred headed the restoration of the Cenotaph, a World War I monument, and the Yale Tablet, both on the Branford Green. Winnifred took great pride in designing public gardens, such as at the Blackstone Library, on the Branford Green, and at Trinity Church, even including a parking lot “rain garden” on Montowese Street. She was also a longtime volunteer at the Connecticut Hospice through the Garden Club.

An active member of the Trinity Church on the Green in Branford, Winnifred served on many Trinity Church committees. Along with her sister Jeanne McParland, Winnifred was also the archivist for Trinity. In addition to organizing the church’s archives and artifacts, Winnifred and Jeanne updated the History of Trinity Church for the period of 1883 to 2007.

Winnifred was a remarkable person: determined, committed, and informed, a person who refused to allow her disabilities to restrict her efforts on behalf of Branford and her passionate horticultural interests. She fought to be active, engaged, and involved. Winnifred and her companion dogs were a familiar sight throughout the Branford area for many, many years. It would be fair to say the omnipresent Winnifred and her dogs were a local legend. Winnifred has an impressive collection of plaques, awards, citations, and appreciation certificates that fill a wall of her house. A garden on the Branford Green, at the intersection of Main and Montowese Streets, has been dedicated to her in honor of her many efforts. Winnifred was selected Citizen of the Year in 2006 by the Branford Review.

Regrettably, her younger sister, Jeanne, who also lived in Branford, passed away three weeks after Winnifred. Their parents have passed, as have their other siblings, Gordon, Hugh, and Roderick. Winnifred is survived by six nephews: Roger, Hugh, Greg, Kenny, David, and Steven; two nieces, Barbara and Susan; a grandniece, Allison; and six grandnephews: Jeremy, Mitchell, Richard, Evan, Nicholas, and Alexander.

A memorial service for Winnifred and her sister Jeanne will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Trinity Church on the Green in Branford. Donations in Winnifred’s memory would be welcome at Trinity Church, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, The Connecticut Hospice, The Branford Historical Society, or the Branford Garden Club. The Hawley Lincoln Memorial, Guilford, was in charge of arrangements.