Judith Hawkins Writer

Judith Hawkins Writer passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease on July 3rd, 2024. Born to Frederick and Betty Hawkins on May 2nd, 1939 in Oak Park, Illinois, she graduated from Oak Park High School where her nickname was “Practical Hawkins”. Drawn to the mountains and blue skies of Colorado, she thrived at the University of Colorado with a degree in History in 1961. Spotted swimming laps in a Denver pool, George Writer recognized a catch; they were married for nearly 60 years, raising 5 kids. Passionate about everything the natural world offered, she was always outside cultivating her garden, hiking through wildflowers and skiing the fresh powder. Judy was an incredible horse woman who loved the thrill of cross country jumping. Gladly giving of her time, she was an invaluable asset to both friends and the many organizations that benefited from her singular practicality.

For a span of thirty years in Denver, Judy shared her gift of home décor as an interior designer for the Writer Corporation, one of the more successful and innovative homebuilders along the Colorado’s Front Range. Her intuitive insights contributed to the success of the Writer Corporation. While the headquarters of the Writer Corporation was located on Inverness Drive, the kitchen table in their home was a place where floor plans received serious scrutiny.

George and Judy moved to Santa Barbara in 2002 and immediately became involved in the Santa Barbara Community. She was an English language tutor for the Santa Barbara Library. She volunteered for years at the County Dog Shelter where she adopted Bert and Ernie. She served as President of CAMA Women’s Board for three years and led the popular CAMA garden tours and later served on the CAMA Board. She also served on the Research Committee for the Santa Barbara Women’s Fund.

Judy sailed aboard Resolution with George and had a special knack for docking the boat, a skill acquired from years of maneuvering a horse trailer. Despite all of her interests, her primary focus was always her family, willing to listen and support all through insight and profound advice. She enjoyed bridge and book club with her many friends. Judy’s philanthropic focus was primarily on the natural world. She is survived by her husband, George, her children, Wendy, husband Ken and daughter Hannah, Rebecca and son Graham, daughter Meera, Jeff and Eney, Andrea and son Max and daughter Quincey, Katie and daughter Wren and son Jasper, and 6 great grandchildren and faithful dog Ernie. Judy had a heart of gold and will always be deeply loved, cherished and missed by her family and many friends.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Santa Barbara Land Trust or The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.