Judith Vantrease Cuffman
Class of 65
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Died: Aug 20, 14
Maiden name: Vantrease
Judith Vantrease Cuffman,
avid flower gardener, craftswoman, seamstress, quilter, world
traveler, and maker of feel-good meals, passed on August 20, 2014.
Judy was most known for serving others. She had a knack for finding
just the right thing to brighten someone’s day. To her family and
friends, she was known to be a generous giver, and each gift came
with a story. She wasn’t the generic “gift card” type. Her plates of
warm brownies and flowers from her beautiful garden brought smiles
to many.
Judy was quite the world traveler. She cruised around Alaska and the
Mediterranean Sea with her husband, Jerry. In China, she taught
English to students. Her heart for missions took her to a women’s
prison in West Virginia and coal mining communities in western
Kentucky. She frequented Canada and Mexico with numerous mission
teams, teaching and loving on the local community. However, she
didn’t have to go around the globe to have fun. Many times she
surprised her friends with a day trip to a neighboring state just to
try a new restaurant or to look for fabric and stamps. No adventure
was too big or too small to be enjoyed with others.
Judy had too many hobbies and talents to list. However, if you would
like to know more about them, just look around at her friends. Many
jokingly complained of Judy teaching them a new craft or hobby which
became so much a part of their life that they couldn’t quit.
Her generosity with her time was shown in many different ways.
Whether delivering Meals on Wheels, baking for her church choir, or
sewing, Judy always had time to serve others. Over the past few
years, Judy (aka “the Blanket Lady”) made and delivered over 4,000
blankets for NICU babies at Baptist Hospital and Vanderbilt
Children’s Hospital. She also knitted hats for her new chemo
treatment friends.
As a school teacher, she invested in the lives of thousands of
students during her years of teaching Latin, English, and Reading in
Metro Nashville Public Schools and at Davidson Academy. It was very
common to see her pack extra food in her lunch to share with a
student who didn’t have enough to eat. She would also spend personal
time before or after school with those who didn’t have a good home
life and needed someone to be a caring listener and advisor.
If you met Judy for the first time, it wouldn’t take long for her
love for her family to come up in the conversation. Her devotion to
her husband, Jerry, was obvious and unconditional. She was the
proudest mother we knew, and it wouldn’t take long for her to dive
into stories about her daughter Julie Cuffman and son Tim Cuffman (Surupa).
She was always present for their big moments and usually was the mom
cheering loudest in the stands. She was a true master of artfully
weaving in comments about her three grandchildren, Karisma, Jaidyn,
and Ezra Cuffman. Her love for her parents, Clyde (deceased) and
Mary Vantrease, and brother Jerry Vantrease (Teresa), nieces Brandi
(Shawn) Rich, and Brooke (Brent) Carter was unending.
In a recent letter Judy wrote to her grandchildren, she shared the
meaning and purpose behind all she did: “There are so many different
ways to give to others. When we give to others or serve them in some
way, we show Jesus' love.”
This is the legacy she leaves for and in those who knew her: Serve
others so that we can show Jesus Christ’s love for them. It is a
legacy we are honored to share.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to one of Judy’s favorite
charities/ministries is appreciated:
- Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home: TennesseeChildren.org
- Heifer International: Heifer.org
- Mission Aviation Fellowship: MAF.org
- The Gathering at Walt Disney World: TheGatheringWDW.org
Funeral Services will be conducted on Saturday, August 23rd at 11:30
A.M. from the Chapel of Spring Hill Funeral Home with Dr. Roger
Luther and Dr. Fred Baldwin officiating. Interment will follow in
Historic Spring Hill Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be on
Friday, August 22nd from 4-8 P.M. and on Saturday one hour prior to
the service.
Here is a link to her obituary
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