Judith Brandes Collier

Judy was born in Chicago in 1941. As a girl, Judy loved the outdoors and was very adventurous. She was a Girl Scout who enjoyed camping, canoeing, and hiking. In 1959, she attended Antioch College. She later studied abroad, in France, where she developed a love for and appreciation of travel, languages, and different cultures. She married her first husband, Stanley Brandes, in 1964. They moved to Berkeley where they both attended UC Berkeley. They lived with their two daughters for some years in Spain and Mexico. For decades, Judy was a bilingual teacher in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She loved teaching and was deeply connected to her community. She developed educational programs for parents, wrote curricula, and became a resource teacher and project assistant for the school district. In 1992, Judy was named Teacher of the Year for Contra Costa County. Judy supported environmental, political, and local causes, and was outspoken about social justice. She remarried in 1987. She and her second husband were married for 34 years and together enjoyed folk dancing, international travel, and birdwatching. In her spare time, Judy loved researching genealogy, reading, doing puzzles, going to museums, taking walks, discussing world affairs, and spending time with her family. Judy passed away on March 17, 2022, peacefully in her sleep at her home in Berkeley. She is survived by her two daughters, Nina Hochman and Naomi Brandes, her son-in-law, Dennis Hochman, her granddaughter, Annie Stonebarger, three nieces, one nephew, and her husband, Neil Collier. A memorial service will be held in April.

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