Judith Diane Hitt Spear

Jan 1, 1944 - Aug. 5, 2022

BATAVIA — Judi Spear passed away from complications of Alzheimer's Disease at Arden Courts of Geneva on Friday, August 5, 2022.

A memorial to Judi is posted at Bethanybatavia.org.

Judi was born and grew up in Bloomington, IL, the only child of Hank and Emma Hitt, and was married to Alan Spear for 44 years. Judi was a brilliant, compassionate, kind and thoughtful person. She loved animals, (especially dogs), the arts, local history, architecture, camping and travel, and was proud to say she grew up poor, but was one of the first in her family to get a graduate degree.

Unlike most people who complete graduate school, Judi never got a bachelor's degree. She started college at Illinois State but ran out of money so went to work for State Farm in the actuarial department. At 38 she decided to go back to school and was admitted directly into a master's program at Sangamon State University in Springfield. For three years, she commuted from Bloomington to Springfield, about 75 miles each way, to get that degree, a Master's in Public Administration.

Judi was always smart with numbers. She specialized in the finances and management of non-profit organizations, working at a YWCA, Planned Parenthood, a child-care agency, as Executive Director of the McLean County Arts Center, and finally, as Director of a program for Community Arts at the Illinois Arts Council. After she retired, she maintained her work in the arts and other non-profits as a management consultant, often volunteering her time and expertise. She was a mentor and friend to many in the arts and non-profit communities. "Building and planning operational programs for nonprofit organizations" was printed on her letterhead.

When the early symptoms of Alzheimer's began in 2014, Judi did everything she could to manage the disease. When things got more difficult in 2018, we went together to review memory care facilities and she chose Arden Courts of Geneva. She also helped put together final documents with our elder law attorney. She never ran from the disease – she confronted it with courage. Even as her memory and cognition failed at Arden Courts, she remained kind, considerate and loving.

Donations can be made to Bethany Lutheran Church, Batavia, IL, or the Clayton County Humane Society in Jonesboro, GA, which is where she found our dear cockapoo, Shamus.