Judy Khetani passed away surrounded by love and family on November 26, 2024, in Concord. Judith Anne was born on September 17, 1941, in Melrose. She will always be deeply loved by her husband of 60 years Bhupendra; her children and their spouses Jay (Sarah) Khetani and Amy (Trey) Dobson; and her grandchildren, Charlie Dobson, Alexander Khetani, Chase Dobson, Kimball Khetani, and Avery Khetani.
Judy was the oldest of four children. The family lived in Melrose and then Cape Elizabeth, Maine, until 1949, when they moved to West Hartford, Connecticut. During her childhood, Judy attended summer camps in Maine and spent summers with her family at their cottage on Lovell Lake, New Hampshire. Swimming and waterskiing were always a part of her life. She and her siblings first used pieces of plywood to water-ski behind their Lyman boat, and eventually their parents bought them actual water skis. Judy and her siblings spent time learning to fish at their uncle’s cottage on Pumpkin Pond in Maine. In the winters, her father would take the four children skiing at Jiminy Peak, Hogback Mountain, Mount Snow, and Stowe.
Judy attended Green Mountain Junior College in Poultney, Vermont, and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1962, where she earned a bachelor’s in education. During summers, she worked at Howard Johnson’s in North Conway, New Hampshire, Sprucewold Lodge in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and the Seafood Shanty in Edgartown. During winter breaks, she taught downhill skiing at King Pine Ski Area in Madison, New Hampshire.
Judy met her husband, Bhupendra, at a neighbor’s party in South Glastonbury, Connecticut, on November 23, 1963. Judy was then a second grade school teacher in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Bhupendra was an engineer at Monsanto. They were married just three months later, on February 22, 1964, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford.
Their first child, Jay, was born in 1970. Amy was born in 1973. The family moved to the village of Ottawa Hills in Toledo,in 1977 for Bhupendra’s new job at Owens-Illinois. Throughout the family’s years there, Judy volunteered at the children’s schools and worked in many part-time education positions, eventually returning to teaching in the Toledo Public Schools. During these years, Judy had the time and space to explore many interests including needlepoint, quilting, arts, and golf. She took art classes at the University of Toledo and Toledo Museum of Art, where she especially took to watercolor painting and served as an intern and volunteer in photography and glassblowing. A highlight of her work in photography was an internship under a renowned National Geographic photographer who was a guest artist at the museum.
Every summer while living in Toledo, Judy and her family towed the ski boat overnight back to her beloved Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire for a few weeks. We cannot adequately describe the ways in which Judy’s love of being at the lake impacted Bhupendra, Jay, and Amy and their families and friends from all over the world. In 2001, Judy and Bhupendra moved permanently to a lakefront home, where her artistic soul thrived. She conducted a one-person gallery show of her works at the Moultonboro Library. She was a member of the Clearlakes Chorale choir and worked as a volunteer to do trail work in the mountains surrounding the lake.
Judy delighted in being a parent to Jay and Amy. She created a warm and secure home and made the best homemade brownies. She instilled in them a love for learning; the importance of building a home, eating dinners together, and providing a caring family environment; and a love of nature and physicality. Sports were an important part of raising her family. In addition to waterskiing, she spent countless hours teaching them how to downhill ski and play golf and tennis.
One of her greatest happinesses was seeing her family expand. She loved her daughter-in-law Sarah and son-in-law Trey very much. The arrival of grandchildren starting in 2003 brought even more energy to her life. She would have moved heaven and earth for her five grandchildren Charlie, Alexander, Chase, Kimball, and Avery. She taught each of them —and so many other visiting children — how to water-ski. She spent hours upon hours in the lake with the grandkids, patiently teaching them to keep their ski tips out of the water. She was always ready to read to the children, cook with them, take them on nature walks, do art projects, swim, and hold them.
Judy was a devoted parishioner at St. Michael’s in the Hills Episcopal Church in Ottawa Hills and then All Saints Episcopal Church in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Judy also enjoyed traveling with Bhupendra and her children. She traveled frequently to India, Japan, and Europe. She assimilated into these rich cultures, making many friends along the way.
In addition to her husband, children, and grandchildren, Judy is survived by her beloved brothers Perley (Karen) Grimes and Bill (Neiza) Grimes. Judy lost her loving parents, Isabelle and Perley Sr., many years ago. Just recently, the family suffered the loss of Judy’s younger sister Barbara. Judy also leaves many dear friends, nieces, and nephews.
All of our lives were made so much better because of Judy. She will be missed so dearly. And we are also truly comforted by the parts of her we each carry in us.
The family would like to extend their greatest thanks and love to Judy’s caregivers. Melissa Morrison and At Home Senior Care and Dr. Reija Rawle in Bennington, Vermont, along with dear friend Elaine Qua in Wolfeboro, helped Judy and the family transition in the early stages of her disease. Since 2021, Judy was lovingly cared for at Rivercrest Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center. The family would especially like to thank the management and nursing staff of Rivercrest and especially nursing aides Catherine Valcourt, Danielle Ortiz, and Christopher Spoth, and Leanne Murray of Care Dimensions.
Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Judy at her memorial service at 11 a.m., on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to End 68 Hours of Hunger, 4 Ivy Lane, Farmington, NH 03835, or end68hoursofhunger.org.
Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home, 74 Belknap Street. To share a memory or offer a condolence, visit concordfuneral.com.
