Judith Kay (Olson) Sterling

Judith Kay Olson (Judy) Sterling, age 77, of Woodlawn, Maryland, passed away on Sunday, August 23, 2020 of Covid-19.  Judy was born on July 19, 1943 in Fosston, Minnesota to Lloyd Edward and Eleanor (Vaatveit) Olson, and grew up in McIntosh and Bemidji, Minn., where she graduated from High School.  She attended the University of Chicago, receiving a B.A. in 1966, and an MA in teaching (German) in 1968.  While there she met the love of her life, and husband of forty-eight years, Carleton W. Sterling.  They were married in 1969.  Judy eventually followed Carl to South Bend, Indiana, where he taught at the University of Notre Dame.  While there she received a Master’s in Library Science from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo.  In 1982 Carl followed Judy to Baltimore, Maryland, where she took a position in the library at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, eventually retiring from the position of Assistant Director for Systems and Technical Services.  She was culturally and politically active, enjoying the arts scene in Baltimore and working on several campaigns over the years.  She was active in the American Library Association, and after retirement she volunteered with resettlement services for refugees.  During time off she and Carl travelled the world actively, with tours to Machu Picchu, Burma, Morocco, North Cape of Norway, and Alaska, among others.  Following Carl’s death in 2018, Judy entered assisted living in Pikesville, Maryland.  Judy is survived by brother-in-law William C. Sterling, Jr. (Mary) of New York and St. Croix, USVI, nephews William C. Sterling, III (Stacey), of Montana, Bruce B. Sterling (Elise), of Vermont, Douglas D. Sterling (Wendy), of Washington State and Ross Olson, and niece Abigail Sterling Olsen (Harold), of New York.

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