Judy Braun O'Leary

Judy Dorothy Braun O’Leary, fearless, frugal, outspoken, hard working, creative and giving, died on July 20, 2013 at age 72 at home in Providence, UT.
With her foot to the pedal of her sewing machine, Judy could often be found doing what she loved best: being creative. She loved making things for others, from her wonderful bags with their many uses, to her quilts, teddy bears and dolls that adorn her children’s and grandchildren’s bedrooms, she was always working on something special. One of her most special projects was the hundreds of yarn octopus pals she made and donated to children in hospitals and in her church. These weren’t ordinary toys, Judy wanted the children to use them to remember to be thankful and count their many blessings on each of the eight legs.
When you heard Judy talk you knew right away that she was a New Yorker. Judy was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 20, 1940 to Johanna Fassmann and Bernhard Braun. She spent her childhood summers at the beach. Years later, land-locked in Utah, her love of the ocean was still evident in the plethora of seashells that overflowed baskets throughout her house. It was also in New York that Judy met her childhood sweetheart, Donald O’Leary, whom she later married on a snowy day April 11, 1959. Don recalls seeing her for the first time in the second grade. With pigtails in her hair and two little ducks following behind, she was on a show-and-tell tour through the school. After 54 years of marriage, two children (Sean O’Leary and Kathleen Gates) and five grandchildren, the love Don and Judy shared burns as bright and deep as the richest gold of a breathtaking Cache Valley sunset. Family and her faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meant everything to Judy. Attending the Logan Temple and working on genealogy was one of the greatest joys in her life.
Life was always exciting with Judy around. Her grandchildren loved when she would playfully wrestle with them. They would beg her to “beat them up” some more. They would groan when she called them, “Struppelpeter” when they hadn’t brushed their hair, and giggle mischievously when they misbehaved and she would say, “Pass Auf Kinder!” The fact that Judy taught herself to drive a car at the age of 13 on the streets of New York City might explain the white-knuckled fear people experienced when she was behind the wheel. Ever impulsive and curious, Judy found herself in interesting situations, such as fearlessly facing down a wild bison in Yellowstone and another time narrowly catching herself from tumbling hundreds of feet down a steep cliff in upstate New York; in both cases, just to get a better look. Less dangerous adventures brought her to the dollar stores and thrift stores seeking treasures. Getting to use a coupon or finding things on sale would be the highlight of the day. Even better than the sale was the people she met along the way. She loved to talk to people. It was not unusual to find her deep in conversation with someone only to learn it was someone she had just met. Perhaps this is the reason she loved being a hairdresser. Her customers became family. She also worked in a junior high school as a health aide where the kids loved her fun-spirited approach to everything.
Judy loved to work. She was a whirlwind of energy. There was no problem she couldn’t outsmart and no disastrous mess she couldn’t tame. She was fond of saying that life is all about the choices we make. Her favorite quote was, “It doesn’t matter where you are, but what direction you’re going.” Judy’s choices have left behind a legacy of faith and love that her family will always treasure and there’s no doubt that she believed she was heading for new and amazing wonders in the life to come.
A viewing will be held for Judy on Thursday July 25th from 6 to 8 pm at Allen-Hall Mortuary 34 East Center Street, Logan UT 84321. A morning viewing will be held from 9:30 to 10:30, at the LDS Meeting House at 155 North 100 East, Providence, UT with the Funeral Service to follow at 11am.