Judith "Judy" Willis

Jude and I first met in 1982 at a morning tea that neither of us wanted to go to. I forced myself to go because I was new to the area and knew no-one, Jude forced herself to go because her friend, Jenny, told her there would be children there for Samantha to play with. My first memory of Jude is when my baby on my lap dribbled on the floor and Jude bent down with a tissue to wipe it up. From there we became fast friends.This was in Northam. I lived out of town and would drive in and spend days at Jude’s bringing my two-year-old Rachael and baby Zoe aged seven months. The three girls grew up together, playing in the backyard while Jude and I drank endless cups of coffee and talked and laughed endlessly. So many happy memories.Jude was always there for me. Only a few months after we met, I phoned her and asked if she could come out and look after my children. I was bedridden with a 24-hour virus and my husband had to go to work. She didn’t hesitate. With Samantha, she took a taxi out and cared for my girls until I was well enough to take over. She even offered to vacuum and make tea for the family before she left – that was Jude always thinking of others.When Zoe, aged seven, fell and broke her arm, Jude didn't hesitate to come to the hospital to sit with her before her surgery, while I went off for a pre-arranged appointment in the hospital for the first pre-natal scan of my third child.Jude told me recently that the honour of her life was when I asked her if she and Les would be prepared to take in Rachael and Zoe if anything happened to both my husband and myself. She said she didn’t have to think twice, she loved my girls.Jude had a wonderful sense of humour and a way of saying things. When I was pregnant with my third child, Jude asked me if we had picked names. I said, if it was a girl she would be called Ayesha. The look on Jude’s face – I can still see it now. She said “well, let’s hope it’s a boy then!” It was a girl – Ayesha Judi – and we have laughed about that many times since, particularly when Jude and Les have been blessed with eight wonderful grandchildren, five of whom have unusual names!My older girls remember so clearly dancing around Jude’s kitchen with Samantha when they heard about the births of Ayesha and later their little brother, Robbie. It was a home from home for all my children. Jude always welcomed them with love. Jude and Les became Godparents for my three younger children. Jude was a second mum for all my children in the good times and bad.We had moved to Wyalkatchem, an hour away from Northam, when I rang Jude just before midnight to ask her if I could bring my four children, aged 3 to 15, to leave them with her. My husband had been taken to Royal Perth Hospital after a car accident. We arrived an hour or so later and Jude had made up camp beds for my children and placed them between her children’s beds. She took them in, looked after them and comforted them for more than two weeks, until I could bring them down to Perth.There was a time when Jude and Les moved to Perth and we were still in Wyalkatchem, and so we didn’t see each other very often, but when we did it was as though we had only seen each other yesterday. I am so thankful that since moving to Mandurah many years ago, I have met up with Jude several times a year. Our last visit before her diagnosis was mid-December and as always, we talked and laughed for hours.It is only now that I look back and realise that in over 43 years we never had a cross word. We never had a disagreement or even an awkward moment. Jude was the most caring, kind, warm-hearted person with a wonderful sense of humour. I will miss her so much and I send all my love to Les, Paul, Deanna, Melissa and Samantha and all the family.