Judith Lynne Curran

In the early hours of April 30th, 2024, Judy Curran passed away after a years-long battle with metastatic breast cancer. She released her extraordinary attachment to life with her three beloved children and her cat at her side. She was 85 years old.

It is hard to imagine the world without Judy in it. She was a motherly sister; a grandmotherly aunt and great-aunt; and an intensely protective, loving mother to her three kids. She was fierce and loyal and determined; she was a force of nature.

Born in Portland, Oregon to Mary Weber and Franklin Fitch, Judy attended Capitol Hill Elementary School. She graduated from Lincoln High School just days before her marriage to her high-school sweetheart, Patrick Curran, which lasted 66 years, until his death in 2023.

Originally interested in nursing school, Judy focused instead on putting Pat through college working at Glens Falls Insurance Company and later raising her family. She satisfied her interest in the medical field by working at Valley Medical Clinic, volunteering for the Red Cross, and spending ten years volunteering at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital working with newborns in the intensive care unit.

Judy committed her life to creating a stable, loving home for her family, full of rich experiences. She loved to travel, and planned trips with destinations ranging from the Oregon Coast, Los Angeles, and the Southwest to Sun Valley, Canada, Yellowstone, and Hawaii. But no place made her happier than Vermont. She and Pat made 17 trips to her “heart home” during the fall, which was her favorite time of year. Judy was a gifted photographer (known to her nieces as “Aunty Blue-Dot”), and New England, her family, and her gorgeous backyard flowers were frequent subjects of her camera lens. Judy served as the memory-keeper for the family. Her impeccable recall of life’s little details and her dozens of photo albums chronicled her family’s journeys and reflected her profound interest in the lives of the people she loved.

Irrepressibly curious, Judy was an avid reader and a news junkie. She loved going to the movies with Pat and keeping up with the annual Oscar winners. She had an infectious laugh, an incandescent smile, and a keen and goofy sense of humor. She adored books, afternoon popcorn, knitting, and embroidery. She loved flower gardening and feeding the birds, squirrels, and bunnies who frequented her and Pat’s backyard sanctuary. She never met a dog, cat, gift shop, or corn-on-the-cob that she didn’t like. Christmas was her special holiday, and it lasted far into January as she pulled forgotten presents out from the closet for weeks afterward. Judy was proud of her Volga German heritage and loved her Grandma Fitch. She held lifelong friendships and taught her children to do the same.

Judy is survived by her daughters, Cathy Curran (Kurt Stahl) and Chrissy Curran (JR Vanderburg); son Tim Curran (Amy Forstadt); step-grandchildren; brothers Jim Fitch (Karen) and Michael Fitch (Patricia Noterman); adored nieces, grand-nieces, grand-nephews; and her devoted caregivers. She is predeceased by her husband Patrick; brother Tom Fitch; sister Mary Lou Brown; and her parents. Judy was laid to rest in a private interment at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Portland. A Celebration of Life party will be scheduled for this summer. Please RSVP to judy@gkalighting.com with your email address and we will keep you up-to-date as plans progress. Please consider donations in Judy’s name to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital (OHSU Foundation | Donate) or Santé D’Or Foundation cat adoption center ( Sante D'Or Foundation (santedor.org) ).