Jessie Anne "Judy" Wallace

Judy passed away at Hospice House in Bend surrounded by her sons and loving family on November 3, 2023. She was born on September 3, 1936, in Vancouver, British Columbia, the eldest of Ruth Malvina and John Henry William’s two children. She was part of a close-knit family and grew up in East Vancouver during challenging times of the Great Depression and World War II. She learned “tap” in her Grandma Jessie’s basement and was an accomplished dancer by the time she graduated from Vancouver Technical School in 1954. She met the love of her life, Roland “Wally” Wallace in 1950, and they were married in Vancouver, B.C. after a five-year courtship on August 13, 1955. Wally and Judy lived in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta from 1955-59, and with the promise of adventure in the newly added 49th state, they immigrated to Anchorage, Alaska in 1959. The young couple traveled throughout Alaska and the Yukon Territory as Wally played semi-professional hockey and they were charter members of the Anchorage Curling Club. Judy worked as a legal assistant in Anchorage until the birth of her first son, Scott, in September 1962. After surviving the March 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake (Magnitude 9.2), Judy and Wally packed up the station wagon and headed for the “Lower 48” in search of opportunities and the promise of a warmer climate in Phoenix, Arizona. However, on the journey south, Judy developed pneumonia and they were forced to stop in Phoenix, Oregon where she was hospitalized. The family never made it to Arizona opting to stay in Southern Oregon while Judy recovered. Judy’s second son, Lindsay, was born in Medford in February 1965. Wally was a remote electrical and plumbing sales pioneer calling on lumber mills throughout Central and Eastern Oregon. To be closer to Wally’s clients, the family moved to Bend in 1969. Over the next 26 years, Judy worked as a legal secretary, escrow officer, and in the Deschutes County Clerk’s office before retiring in 1995. She was an active Alter Guild member of Trinity Episcopal Church and long-time volunteer reader for the SMART Program at Bear Creek Elementary School. Judy and Wally loved to dance and were members of the Skyline Squares and Tumbleweeds Square Dance Clubs, and they explored much of the High Lava Plains on “digs” for the Archeology Society of Central Oregon. While her boys were growing up, Judy was a Cub Scout Den Mother, Little League Team Mom, and never missed a Bend High baseball or football game. She was a great cook and hosted countless dinner and holiday parties for family, friends, and even strangers in need of companionship. Judy and Wally enjoyed camping, fishing, rodeos, and traveled throughout the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Western Canada in their retired years. Judy was a breast cancer survivor of over 40 years, led a faithful life in service to others, and looked for the good in all people. She was always a quiet, calm, practical, and compassionate influence over those who knew and loved her. She will be greatly missed by all. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Wally, in 2013. Survivors include two sons: Scott Wallace (Karen) and grandchildren (Spencer and Rachel) of Bend; Lindsay Wallace (Phyllis) of Bend, and grandchildren (Ethan and Ryan) of Portland; brother: Fred Williams (Lynn) and nieces Amy and Jennifer of Port Coquitlam, B.C.; and cousins: Marilyn, Ben, & Caiti Tusher, of Los Angeles; and John & Nicole Tusher of Seattle. The family wishes to thank Partners in Care Hospice House, the staff of Cascades of Bend and Almost Family, and Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home for their compassion and care. A celebration of Judy’s life is planned for this spring at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bend with interment at Greenwood Cemetery next to her beloved Wally. Memorial donations may be made online to Partners in Care www.partnersbend.org or by mail at 2075 NE Wyatt Court, Bend, OR 97701.

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Jessie Anne "Judy" Wallace

September 3, 1936 - November 3, 2023