Judith “Judy” Marie Hyndman
Judith “Judy” Marie Hyndman – beloved wife, mother, sister, friend, teacher and neighbor – passed away at age 77 on April 15, 2026, in the Los Olivos, California home she had lived in for more than 45 years, filled with the sounds of her grandchildren, sisters, children, husband and friends who gathered in the Grand Avenue house in her final days to say goodbye.
Judy was born on September 6, 1948 to Emily and Chet Lepak in Santa Barbara, California, who had traveled West from Wisconsin after WWII to start a new life on the Mesa. Judy and her sisters – Barbara and Mary Kay – grew up on Borton Drive, just up the road from Hendry’s Beach and Judy had many memories of playing and swimming in the sea as a child. She loved sharing this beach with her children and grandchildren through the years.
Judy was an enthusiastic student at Bishop Diego High School, where she was active in sports, drama, and cheerleading. She obtained her physical education degree from California Western University in San Diego in 1971, with the aim of being a P.E. teacher.
Judy met the love of her life, Ken Hyndman, in a London youth hostel while she was backpacking in Europe on her own in 1972. Ken, a New Zealand race car mechanic, asked Judy to marry him, foiling her plans to move to Tasmania to take a teaching position. Ken followed Judy back to California and they were married in the chapel of St. Anthony’s Seminary on July 6, 1974 and settled in San Diego. They welcomed their daughter, Gwyneth, into the world in 1977. Two years later, while visiting Judy’s sister in Lompoc, the family drove their green VW van through the Santa Ynez Valley and discovered the Los Olivos home they would spend the next four decades in.
In October 1980, Judy’s life was changed forever when she became paralyzed in her left leg – the result of an incurable auto-immune disease she would live with until her death. Judy was devastated at this diagnosis, though in years to come, Judy would reflect on this season of darkness as the beginning of a deep faith in Jesus that would become a source of strength, joy and lasting fellowship.
Five years later, Judy and Ken welcomed their son, Sean “a gift from God” and the Hyndman family was complete. The four enjoyed many years of traveling, biking, hiking, camping at Upper Oso, Zaca Lake and Refugio Beach, swimming and even skiing as Judy found adaptive resources that allowed her to continue exploring the world. The family’s travels took them on road trips across the United States, Europe, many trips back to New Zealand to visit family and live abroad, and excursions to Poland with her sisters to visit their grandparents’ homeland. In 2011, three years before she retired as a dedicated and much-loved teacher at Olive Grove Charter School in Los Olivos, Judy was even able to walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
In the wider community, Judy is remembered for organizing the “Hyndman’s Roasted Walnuts “ stand at the Olde Fashioned Christmas in Los Olivos each December for more than 40 years, and was a fixture alongside Ken on evening tandem bike rides through Los Olivos for the last decade.
Even as her health deteriorated, Judy never lost her beauty, her love of literature, and her deep faith in God. She treasured and kept the memories of her life travels close to her in photos and journals, into her final days.
Judy is preceded in death by her parents, Chet and Emily Lepak. She leaves behind her husband, Ken, and her two children, Gwyneth and Sean, their spouses, John and Megan; grandchildren Jessie, Eliza, Darius and Jacob; sisters Barbara and Mary Kay and many, many members of the wider family and dear friends from California to New Zealand.
A service to remember Judy’s life will be held on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 2 p.m. at the Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church.
For those who can’t attend, we will also be live streaming the service at https://youtube.com/live/
