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CHERRYVILLE, N.C. - Dr. Judy, as folks around Cherryville called her, would go to any length to show her love for the children to whom she devoted her life.

One afternoon when she was principal at Cherryville High School, Dr. Judy put on a cheerleader’s outfit and led the girls into the school auditorium for a pep rally, marking the start of football season. Years earlier, she wowed a Lutheran convention by hula-hooping on stage. Her performance (and spirit) helped make her the first female president of the Luther League of America.

Judith Ford Houser passed away April 15, 2024, from complications due to Parkinson’s disease. Her legacy endures in her loving family, the young lives she shaped and the deep Christian faith that guided her. She was 87.

Dr. Judy was born on July 24, 1936, daughter of Howard and Aldena Parker Ford. She discovered the path before her at an early age: her favorite activity as a child was attending Sunday School at St. John’s Lutheran Church, where she sang solos starting at age three. That path led to success in the ways that mattered most. She graduated from Cherryville High School in 1954, where she was voted Most Likely to Succeed. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Lenoir-Rhyne College (now University) in Hickory in 1958, where she was voted Best All-Around Senior. She went on to earn advanced degrees from Winthrop (now University) in Rock Hill, S.C., and a PhD in School Administration from University of California - San Diego. This explains why most everyone called her “Dr. Judy,” a term of endearment that reflected the 31 years she gave to educating and guiding students of all ages.

She taught for a time, including Math and English at Cherryville High. She left her deepest mark as an administrator, including as principal of Cherryville Junior-Senior High School. In 1987, she became principal of Cherryville East Elementary, where she served until retiring in 1998.

Dr. Judy was the first female high school principal in Gaston County. In her career, as well as in her work in The Lutheran Church, she was a gentle feminist. She didn’t push as much as show us by example that women have as much to give as men.

An accomplishment she considered more profound than “the first this or that” was educating three generations of kids. She was no pushover. She challenged students to realize their God-given potential, but she did it with tenderness. Proof of that came in all the times she’d walk into a local restaurant or grocery – she knew most everyone – and a former pupil would smile and say “Hey, Dr. Judy!”

She had a partner for the mission. She married her high school sweetheart, Bill Houser, in 1958. A pharmacist by trade, he also served on the Cherryville School Board. They were married for 64 years until his death on February 26, 2023.

She is survived by two children – Todd Houser and his wife, Mandy, of Charlotte, and Melanie Gentile and her husband, Robert, of Gastonia; four granddaughters – Kiersten Houser, Maria Gentile, Anna Houser and Shelton Houser; and one great-grandchild – Boone Houser. She is also survived by her sister, Susan Heavner and her husband, Eddie of Cherryville; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William Edward “Bill” Houser, and son, Forest “Frosty” Houser.

Visitation will be from 1:30 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 310 W. Church St., Cherryville. The service to celebrate her life follows at 3 p.m. at the church with Rev. G. Scott Homesley officiating.

In lieu of flowers, a gift in her memory can be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 100, Cherryville, N.C. 28021.

The family is deeply grateful for the care shown by caregiver Nancy Kohli, Peak Resources in Cherryville and Via Health Partners (formerly Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region).

Such a life to savor. Her family still has a copy of the 1959 Christian youth magazine featuring a cover photo of their mom and a young Massachusetts Senator who would be president, John F. Kennedy. She also met President Eisenhower and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King.

Dr. Judy and Bill traveled to all 50 states and many countries around the world. She water-skied on Lake Hickory for as long as her health allowed. She was active at her lifetime church, St. John’s Lutheran, singing soprano in the choir while Bill sang tenor. She earned a real estate license and took up writing, including poetry. She held tight to a lifetime of moments and memories. Best of all were her loving relationships with friends and family and the precious time they spent together. The four grandchildren and one great-grandchild called her Princess. In the broadest sense, the nickname fit.

Online condolences can be shared at www.stameycherryvillefuneralhome.com

Stamey-Cherryville Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Cherryville, N.C. is serving the Houser family.

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