Obituary of Judy Brown

Judy (Essigmann) Brown, 69, of Woburn, passed away peacefully at home after a short illness on Tuesday evening, December 3. She was the wife of the late Richard F. Brown, Sr. who died in 2016. Born and raised in Woburn, she was the daughter of Helen L. (Marion) Essigmann and the late John W. Essigmann, of Woburn. Judy was a graduate of Woburn High School, Class of 1968. Judy was always a very hard worker. She started working at the Woburn Nursing Center during her junior year of high school and made many lifelong friends during her 20+ years there. She truly loved her work as a Nurse’s Aid and eventually began working as a private home health aid. She always treated her clients like family and went above and beyond to make sure they enjoyed their final years. Aside from working full-time, Judy was always extremely involved with her children and grandchildren’s school and extracurricular activities. She was a big part of the Linscott-Rumford School’s PTO for many years, volunteering her time for fundraising, field trips, Halloween float decorating, and anything involving crafts. Her most cherished contribution was sewing most of (if not all of) the costumes for different school events. She also took a lot of pride in being a Girl Scout Troop Leader. Judy loved being a hockey mom and served as a “Team Mother” for her son’s and daughter’s teams over the years. She helped with a lot of the fundraising and planning, and still found the time to host pasta/poster parties and drive the team/cheerleaders around to toilet paper houses the night before a big game. Most recently, Judy worked as a Paraprofessional at the Joyce Middle School, retiring this past Spring after a 13+ year career. She started this career path at the Linscott-Rumford School and spent most of her years at the Goodyear School. She loved working with the children and enjoyed her job immensely. She loved spending time with her family, and enjoyed many summers camping in New Hampshire. She also enjoyed playing Keno and traveling to Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, and Twin River Casino with friends. Some of her fondest memories were of bus trips to Atlantic City years ago. In addition to her mother, Helen Essigmann, Judy is survived by two sons, Mark Brown and his wife Jennifer of Woburn, Jonathan Brown and his wife Eryn of Woburn; a daughter, Melinda Brown of Woburn; two step-daughters, Julie (Brown) LaPointe and her husband Richard, and Jill (Brown) Foley and her late husband Robert; all of Woburn. She was preceded in death by one son, the late Richard Brown, Jr., and one step-daughter, the late Debra (Brown) White; and survived by her son-in-law Michael White of East Bridgewater. Judy is also survived by twelve grandchildren, Mark, Joshua, Jeremy, Jason, Alana, and Jacob Brown; Tyler and Christopher White, Justin and Nicholas Lindahl, Meredith LaPointe, and Jameson Foley. She is further survived by her siblings, John W. Essigmann, Jr. and his wife Kathleen, Sybil Wilson, Wendy Essigmann, Ann Essigmann, all of Woburn; and Pamela DeSouza of Phoenix, Arizona and her late husband Brian DeSouza. A funeral service will be held at the Graham Funeral Home, 3 Arlington Rd., Woburn on Monday evening, December 9 at 7:00 pm. Visiting hours will be prior to the service from 4:00-7:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Judy’s memory may be made to the North Congregational Church, 896 Main St., Woburn, MA 01801.