The medical records will state that she was lost to COVID-19, but they may have better stated that Judi was freed from Parkinson’s Disease. After 82 years with us, Judi is now experiencing everlasting joy, reunited with her recently deceased sister Marnee (Jim) Rubright and her parents Howard and Margaret Wright.

Judi was born on Sept. 2, 1938 in Olean, New York. She learned to walk on crooked floors, ate peas on toast for dinner and participated in all the normal escapades of a girl growing up in the 1940s, while loving her violin and pushing herself to excel at school.

When Judi graduated with honors from Olean High School, she somehow convinced her father to approve of her ambition of getting a four-year degree at far-away Syracuse University. There she met Lee Borland, whom she married in December of 1959. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2019, and Lee misses her dearly.

Judi graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing in 1961. She worked for several years helping patients, assisting in baby deliveries, and teaching nursing students. The long days and hard nights prepared her for promotion to her next, far-more exhausting job of becoming a full-time mom to three boys.

Between family moves from her husband’s military duty in Illinois, to Sodus, New York to Fayetteville, New York to Clifton Park, New York and to Lake Placid, Judi raised her children while volunteering in countless positions at her church, Cub Scouts, and the 1980 Winter Olympics.

After the Olympics, Judi went back to work full time in health care, working for two hospitals in Lake Placid and for Blue Cross, assuring high quality patient care. In the mid 1990s, she “retired,” which was code for working full time behind the scenes in her husband’s new publishing business. In 1999, Judi retired for real. Then they set off travelling around the U.S. In 2004, Judi and Lee moved to Villa Rica, Georgia to be close to their oldest son Mark and family. She loved the lake, her Midway Church and the southern hospitality.

Judi lived out the old adage that “a woman’s work is never done.” She was always in motion, always helping and always serving. She was the smallest, steadiest and quietest one in the family. She was also the strongest one in the family. She survived breast cancer, near-death ectopic pregnancy, a skiing accident, near blindness in one eye, a crazy risk-taking husband and three headstrong boys. Any of these could have taken her spirit. None of them did. In the end, after hospital bedside assurances from her son Mark, Judi agreed that her work here actually was done. She passed peacefully to be with her Lord Jesus Christ.

Here on Earth, she is deeply missed by her husband Lee Borland; sons Mark (Susan) Borland of Villa Rica, Bill (Margi) Borland of Lake Placid, and Dave (Tammie) Borland of West Sand Lake, New York; sister Sue (Lou) Stedman of Olean; grandchildren Julia (Brian) Cook, Laura (Hunter) Moss, and Candice, Megan, Jackie and Adam Borland; and many more family members and friends.

COVID has taken away our opportunity to gather in person for her funeral, but nothing can take away the love we have for her. If you knew her, you know why. There will be a celebration of life in July of 2021.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her name to the Parkinson’s Foundation or to the Adirondack Experience.