Obituary of Judith R. Whipple

Friends and residents of Owego along with her spouse Bill Whipple are mourning the loss of Judith Ann (Roy) Whipple; who died on September 8, 2019 at the age of 84.  After a brief illness, Judith spent her last five days at Mercy House in Endicott. Judith was born May 14, 1935 on Long Island, NY where she spent her childhood.  After high school she went on to Mount Holyoke College.  After college Judith spent a year in Peru when her father, E. Paul Roy, was sent there by his employer, City Services.  To this day her home is adorned with Peruvian pottery. After returning to New York City Judith got a job as a secretary with Putnam Publishing.  While there she would meet Bill Whipple, a young editor.  They started dating and later married, living their lives together for more than 55 years.  Judith became an editor for other publishers including Scholastic (Four Winds Press) and McMillan where she became editor and chief of children’s books. She enjoyed an international reputation in the field of children’s literature.   Her spouse, Bill, also worked at a number of firms as an editor. The couple spent the majority of their married lives in New York City, first in an apartment and then in a brownstone which they renovated.  Upon retirement Judith started exploring the internet for homes, first in the Montrose, PA area. She ended up finding a perfect home in Owego, NY.  In 2000 she and Bill moved to their Front Street address.  The couple enjoyed renovating their historic homes,  first in Brooklyn and then Owego.  They also enjoyed gardening, cooking and reading.  Their home has more books than many libraries.  Judith was invited to serve on the Owego Historic Preservation Commission and the Board of the Coburn Free Library.  Since their move to Owego Bill and Judith also went through the challenges of the 2006 and 2011 floods.  In 2006 their home only had water in the basement but in the 2011 flood, the home had two feet of water on the first floor.  The Whipples, along with their Labrador retriever, were rescued by boat by the former Mayor of the Village of Owego and were kindly taken in by Paul and Debbie Caforio.  They stayed with the Caforios for more than a month while their home on Front Street was being repaired.   Judith will be missed by all who knew her.  Funeral services will be held privately.  The family is being assisted by the Estey, Munroe & Fahey Funeral Home.