Judy Marie Burleson, 80, passed away at her home on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 31, 2025.
Judy was born in Roanoke on June 7, 1945 to Russell Scott and Ida Gertrude Rader Scott (deceased). She grew up in Clifton Forge and moved to Norfolk with her family in the late 1950s. Judy was a strong woman of many accomplishments. She had polio as a young child, and overcoming this adversity instilled in her a physical and mental toughness that manifested throughout her life. Judy and Bill, her husband of 60 years, met when they were both students at Old Dominion University in Norfolk and they were married in 1965. Bill joined the US Air Force shortly after they were married and he was sent to Vietnam from 1967-68. During that time, Judy worked as a hospital lab technician and then a veterinarian’s assistant, and she also volunteered for blood delivery for the Red Cross in Norfolk, the first of many volunteer positions Judy held during her lifetime of service to others. Judy gave birth in 1968 to their daughter Lara while they were stationed in Sacramento, Calif., and she became a devoted mom, finding joy in all aspects of mothering a bright and adventurous child.
Judy was a true animal lover and the family always had a dog or cared for the dogs of others, wherever they were living. Judy started Snoshado Kennel in Sacramento, raising Dalmatian dogs. When they lived in Italy for 4 years, she taught dog obedience classes on the Air Force base (she had to seek special permission from the Italian government to hold the classes).
After Italy, they were stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y., and Judy went back to school, graduating in 1977 from State University of New York at Utica/Rome with a BA in Human Services. Bill was then assigned to the Pentagon, and Judy worked as full-time education coordinator for Pepperdine University-Ft. Belvoir and Quantico Marine Corps Base, covering both offices, and then joined Prince William County Social Services. She remained in social services for the rest of her formal career.
Judy’s parents lived in Troutville and she and Bill looked for land in that area to build on when he retired from the military. They purchased land in Botetourt County near Oriskany in 1976 and for several years they camped there and cleared their land. From 1983-1991 they built their log cabin and began living in it in July of 1991. She began working with Craig County Social Services, retiring from DSS in 2007. She was then recruited as a caseworker with the Local Office on Aging (LOA) in Eagle Rock, where she handled Meals on Wheels and determined eligibility for companion services, helping many people obtain the services they needed. (As her husband Bill said, “All Judy ever wanted to do was help people.”) Bill also returned to work in social services, eventually becoming Director of Social Services for Botetourt County.
Bill had promised Judy she could have as many animals as she wanted after they moved to their cabin, and she took him up on it, with horses, beef cattle, guinea hens, dogs, and cats joining the “family,” as well as many wild deer and geese that took up residence with them. During this time she and Bill both became certified on horseback for Botetourt Mounted Search and Rescue and participated in active searches. She trained their dog “Sam” for search and rescue, and she volunteered with St. Francis Service Dogs in Roanoke as a dog walker. After she retired from LOA, seeing a real need for medical services in her rural area, Judy trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and joined Eagle Rock Rescue Squad as a volunteer EMT, answering emergency calls for several years. She was a member of King Memorial Community Church in Oriskany where she served as secretary, and she was vice president of the Oriskany Community Club for many years.
Judy was known for her dry sense of humor. As an example of her wit, when the Taubman Museum of Art was built in Roanoke, Judy submitted her comment on its avant-garde architecture to The Roanoke Times: “It looks like ‘the Wreck of the Flying Nun!’” Her comment was picked up nationally and appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, and many other newspapers.
In addition to her husband Bill, daughter Lara (Kenn), and grandson Alek, Judy is survived by her brother Thomas Scott (Donna), and many loving friends.
A celebration of life will be held at a later time.
