Julia H. Flynn “Judy”, beloved wife, sister, mother and grandmother passed away peacefully on February 26th, 2026 at the age of 82. She is survived by her son Michael and his wife Danielle, her daughter Julie and her husband Nigel, five grandchildren, Brendan, Colin, Aoife, Imogen and Maeve and her sister Mary Moore. Judy is predeceased by her husband Brendan whom she was married to for 57 years.
Born on October 21, 1943, in Red Bank, NJ, to Michael Hanrahan and Julia (Walsh) Hanrahan, Judy graduated from St. Michael's School of Nursing. Judy worked an array of nursing jobs from the Mt. Sinai maternity ward and a pediatrician’s office in her early career to Brockway Glass, Marlboro Rehab Facility and culminating in a long career as a visiting nurse for VNA and Meridian. Judy was a dedicated nurse who had such a welcoming bedside manner. In the height of the AIDS epidemic Judy had several HIV patients. She never saw the disease but just a patient needing compassion and warmth and she cared for them until their end. Judy also regularly went to neighborhoods that others deemed unsafe – but armed with a trunk filled with dog treats and candy – the residents became enamored with her and everyone knew 'Nurse Judy'. Towards the end of her life her granddaughters asked when she knew she wanted to be a nurse – Judy replied “7 or 8 years old. I have always loved taking care of people.”
Akin to her nursing, Judy was a loving and devoted mother. She and Brendan were always cheerleaders on the sidelines for their children. In the early years Judy was a parent volunteer in nursery school, she was a regular on the numerous school PTA's, and later was a fixture at high school baseball and field hockey games. Judy was known for her affiliation with sunshine. She wore a gold necklace with a 'Mr Sun' gold charm and both her children and grandchildren know her morning wake up song of “Good Morning Little Sunshine”. Judy created award winning Halloween costumes for her children while in Illinois and contributed to the Woodbine Ave crew winning for their Star Wars ensemble. Judy enjoyed the win more than Michael and Julie as they weren't thrilled to be cast as Jawas.
Judy inherited her father's green thumb and was a passionate gardener. She shared her father's words of wisdom “plant ivy, plant grief” and gardening knowledge with her daughter who also has a yard full of pachysandra, hostas, hydrangeas and snow drops (Nanny's favorite) and knows to check the weather prior to planting anything before Mother's Day.
Later in life Judy's passion became her grandchildren. She was always ready to head to NYC or Boston. Affectionately known as her “5 Little Ones” Judy was hopelessly smitten with them. Given the opportunity Judy would shower them with gifts and was always slipping them candy saying “Don't tell your parents”. She loved hosting them for summer beach vacations in Oceanport. She also loved sharing stories of her youth to which her grandchildren are still in disbelief that she traveled to Ireland by boat (It took 2 weeks Grandma!), her household chore was cleaning the bathrooms, she had to rise at 5am to pick the fruit and vegetables from the garden, she went down the Grand Canyon on a donkey (she was thankful of her dad's advice to NEVER get off the donkey at the bottom) and was forced to sit all night until she finished her dinner of liver and onions under the watchful eye of her dad.
Judy lived a wonderful life that was marked by compassion, humor, and love.
Relatives and friends are invited to a Memorial Gathering on May 1st from 11am-1pm, with a family eulogy at 12:30 pm at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St. Red Bank, NJ 07701. Two of Judy's great loves were her family dogs, Duchess and Shay. Both dogs were what Judy called “All American” and were rescues. In her memory we ask that in lieu of flowers you make a donation in her name to a local animal shelter so that these neglected animals have a safe place to rest while they wait for their 'forever homes'. Also be sure to stop and appreciate someone's garden when you are out for a walk – because odds are they put as much love into it as Judy did.
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