Judith Ann Grasso – wife, mother, grandmother, nurse, mentor, and friend – passed away on September 30, 2022 while holding the hand of her husband of 54 years, Ray. Judy was the daughter of the late Alfred and Harriet (Dolan) Waldheim and was born and raised in East Hartford.

Judy's lifelong devotion to nursing began when, as a five-year-old, she donned a nurse's costume at Halloween. That well-worn costume lasted another couple of years and was eventually replaced with a "Candy-Striper" uniform that Judy wore as a young volunteer at Hartford Hospital.  Following graduation from East Hartford High School, Judy became a proud member of the Hartford Hospital School of Nursing's Class of 1967, and began her work in the hospital's acute care areas. Judy married Ray, her high school sweetheart, in 1968, then traveled with him to Philadelphia where he was enrolled in graduate school while she took a job at the Albert Einstein Medical Center. The following year, Judy and Ray returned to Connecticut with their newborn daughter, and Judy resumed her career at Hartford Hospital, at first covering evenings in the Coronary Intensive Care unit then moving to an oncology specialty in the hospital's newly opened Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center where she could focus on patient education while partnering with patients and their families to provide wraparound care. After several years, Judy was recruited to be a member of a small leadership team that developed the Community Cancer Center at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London.  While at L&M, Judy advocated for comprehensive services for her cancer patients and their care partners including social work, nutrition education, and adjunct therapies.  In 2005, Judy was invited by Yale New Haven Hospital to be part of the effort to plan 'outpatient' oncology programming for the Smilow Cancer Hospital that was in its final phase of construction. Once the new hospital opened, Judy served in what she called her "dream job;" i.e., as Patient Services Manager of the Infusion and Day Hospital, until her retirement in 2011. Throughout her many years of dedicated service as a nurse-leader, Judy recognized and honored the standard of care provided by experienced oncology nurses with whom she worked while nurturing the skills of new nursing graduates. She was a firm believer that nurses could continually learn from each other no matter their years of experience, all for the benefit and welfare of their patients. After retirement, Judy's work was still not done. First, she served the Middletown community as a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society; then, she was called on by the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) to join the team of site reviewers that traveled throughout the country to assist small and large oncology infusion centers in meeting the national standards set forth by ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society.

During the span of her career, Judy still found the time and energy to spend weekends earning her bachelor's degree from the University of Saint Joseph then her master's degree from the University of Hartford. Additionally, she was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, the international honor society of nursing and received one of the state's Florence Nightingale Awards. Judy also conducted a poster presentation at a national conference of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), served as president of the Central Connecticut chapter of ONS, and even appeared in a segment on the Oprah show that focused on the advances in new breast cancer treatments.

When her children were grown, Judy heeded the advice of one of her cancer patients not to wait until retirement to travel. Off she and Ray went to several Caribbean islands, England, France and Italy, appreciating every shared moment. Any downtime was enjoyed to its fullest. Judy baked delicious pies using the secrets gleaned from her mother and Grandmother Waldheim, and crafted cookies of all kinds, especially those she baked and frosted with the help of her grandchildren.  She loved cuddling babies, decorating Christmas trees, going to the theater and movies with Ray, and was an avid reader, especially of historical novels and those featuring heroic women facing hard challenges. She sewed, sang along to her Supremes recordings, laughed during dance and exercise classes with her Parkinson's chums, and chatted for hours with her great friends Alice, Joan, Debbie Z and Tina. Although Parkinson's Disease may have changed what Judy could do, it never changed who she was.

All the days of their lives together, Judy remained a loving and supportive wife, a proud Mom to her children, and an adoring grandmother. In addition to her husband Ray, Judy leaves behind to cherish her memory her daughter Jennifer Lynn Curran (John), son Matthew Raymond Grasso (Meredith), and her four beloved grandchildren, each of whom shares her feisty spirit and zest for life -- Shannon and Liam Curran and twins Emma and Anna Grasso. Judy is also survived by her brother-in-law and sister-in-law George and Barbara Grasso, an aunt, and several cousins.

The Grasso family is grateful to the staffs at Apple Rehab in Rocky Hill and Middlesex Hospice for comforting and compassionately caring for Judy during her final months. Calling hours for Judy will be held from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday, October 16 at the Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver Street, Middletown. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the Grasso family wishes that you consider making a memorial donation in Judy's name to the Connecticut Parkinson's Working Group (CPWG Treasurer, 51 Fairview Terrace, South Glastonbury, 06073) for which Judy served as a Board member.