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.