JUDY CROW INSPIRED OTHERS WITH STRONG WILL

In 1985, Mary B. Blue, longtime gardening editor at the Southeast Missourian and wife of former editor John L. Blue, wrote a letter to chapters of the PEO Sisterhood seeking financial assistance for Judith Ann Crow, who died Monday after many years as a staff writer and librarian at the Missourian. Here are excerpts of that letter:

Judy has lived from birth with cerebral palsy. Her mother, with grit and determination, taught her to live with her motor problem and to become self-supporting.

During her growing-up years, she was taught at home and in school. She learned to care for herself. Her speech was impeded, but she carried on. She walked with difficulty, but she walked. She learned to socialize and won a host of friends.

Living with her mother and her stepfather, she went through high school and then on through college at Southeast Missouri State University. She participated in activities. She won academic honors. She became a widely known campus figure.

She did not stop her education after her undergraduate degree. Fighting against her handicaps, she went on to receive her master's degree in English.

Unable to teach because of her speech and physical handicaps, Judy could have reached a dead end. That was not her style. She was widely admired in Cape Girardeau for her tenacity and intellect.

At the Southeast Missourian, which she had toured with student groups and where she was well-known through her activities, notice has been taken of her ability and keen mind. She was employed (and eventually) was assigned to newsroom duty. Here she used her unfailing knowledge of the English language to aid the editors and the reporters when a question of grammar, style or usage arose. She had a great love for literature and the theater and became the regular reviewer of plays and other artistic events in the community, often working into the early morning hours to do her reviews for the next afternoon's paper.

This was done under great handicap. She typed with both pain and difficulty, but she never complained, and her copy always was completed on time. During her regular work hours, Judy continued compiling the events of the day, kept the library up to date, answered questions of reporters and took time to answer questions of readers, although her speech impediment was a stumbling block. Judy never flinched. She persevered.

When her stepfather and then her mother died, Judy was left alone in the little brick house on Themis Street where they made their home amid antiques and heirlooms. It was difficult, but she was not deterred. Life went on.

Judy was growing old now, and her physical life was even more difficult. She had falls which became more frequent as time went on. Often she was blue from bruises. She suffered sprains and broken bones. She had retired from the newspaper. Nevertheless, her spirit was not bruised. Her friends called, and she went out when she could.

Judy insisted she could live alone. Others said it was impossible for her to take care of herself. She said she could. Her indomitable will won. She went home.

Now she is unable to walk. She sits in a wheelchair, her books and reading materials and heirlooms around her. She can cook. She has a microwave oven on a table within reach. She can wheel herself to the refrigerator. She can move into the living room. She can with effort use the bathroom. She can dress herself and get in and out of bed. Once a week a woman comes in to clean and help her. Life is hard. Judy perseveres. She is fiercely independent.

This is Judy Crow's story of courage. It is the story of one woman's painful journey through life. She deserves tender care in her final years, along with love and devotion.