CHELSEA — Children were at the center of Judy Reed’s life.
For 40 years, Reed dedicated her time and energy to Chelsea’s youth as a first grade teacher and athletic director at the elementary and high school in town.
“She was a Chelsea legend,” Loretta Cruz, of South Ryegate, Vt., said, who worked alongside Judy as a teacher for several years.
“She taught the whole town to read,” Casey Reed said, who is Reed’s son and one of her former students.
It’s no question that Reed saw her career in education as more than a job; teaching and engaging with children was her undying passion. Outside of the classroom, Reed taught driver’s ed during the summer, babysat in her home in Chelsea, and helped out at school functions and sports games.
Reed’s two sons, Casey and Cory Reed, remember accompanying their mother to numerous softball games across Vermont, where she pitched for the Chelsea adult softball league. And as athletic director at the school, Reed poured her love for sports into organizing, coaching, and volunteering her time at all kinds of games during every season.
“It was just a matter of fact that she would be on the sidelines doing something,” Cory said.
While accolades poured in over the years, Reed worked and was involved in the community of because she loved it, never looking for recognition of any kind. While visiting their childhood home in Chelsea after their mother’s passing in October, Casey and Cory found abundant plaques and awards that they had never heard Reed mention before.
“Giving” is one of the first words Cory thinks of when he remembers his mother, who always volunteered her time without any hesitation. She kept the schedules for every sports team at Chelsea on her fridge and would frequently come home late on school nights because of all the meetings and games that she attended. Whatever it was that Reed became involved in, she dedicated herself to selflessly.
“She just stepped up because it needed to be done,” Cory said.
“I don’t know the word for it,” Casey admitted. “It’s beyond humility.”
During her time as a first-grade teacher, Reed was strict and organized, but compassionate. She was a supportive mother and teacher, but challenged her children and students to acknowledge and learn from their mistakes, teaching them respect and manners along the way.
“She was quick to point out what I did wrong,” Cory said, who now appreciates that his mother was firm on teaching him to hold himself accountable, which has been a valuable life skill. “I probably took (that) for granted until she was gone.”
“She taught me respect for everyone,” Casey said, who was also taught first-grade by his mother.
Though Reed ran a tight ship, she still had a sense of humor. It was a running joke at Chelsea that Mrs. Reed was afraid of snakes, and every so often a student would hide a fake one somewhere in her classroom for her to stumble upon during the day. She played along to make her students laugh, Casey remembered.
Emily Marshia, of Chelsea, was a part of Mrs. Reed’s first-grade class during 1980-81 school year, where she sat in a desk in front of big Azarian alphabet letters lining the chalkboard.
Now a middle school Humanties teacher at Tunbridge Central School, Marshia has found her own similar letters to decorate her classroom with, in appreciation of her fond memories of Reed.
“(Judy) was a member of a dying breed of teacher who immerses herself in her school and her school’s community,” Marshia said.
Reed was particular about the way her classroom operated, making sure her students understood and followed her rules, respected each other, and learned how important these things were to their academic success.
“We knew she loved us, but she was routined and stern,” Marshia said.
The year before she retired, Reed taught Marshia’s twin daughters, bringing things full circle. Even after retiring from her post in the first-grade classroom around 2008, Reed continued to manage athletics for the high school and also provided childcare for local families in her Chelsea home up until the start of the pandemic. Marshia’s youngest, Sarah, was one of the children Reed cared for, and Reed became a “chosen grandparent in the community” of sorts for the Marshia family.
“‘Judy Days’ became favorites for Sarah,” Marshia said.
Cruz, who began working as the fourth-grade teacher at Chelsea in 2006, crossed paths with Reed who was already an established teacher there. Reed was a go-to resource for other teachers who needed advice or encouragement.
“She was somebody that I could trust,” Cruz said. “If she didn’t know the answer, she probably knew someone who did.”
Cruz witnessed Reed’s impact in the school community firsthand. Former students of Reed’s, Cruz said, would flock to her classroom to visit Reed during breaks and freetime, even though they had already graduated the first-grade. Reed would also invite staff to congregate at a table during lunchtime where she would share small anecdotes from her years of teaching and lighten the mood on exhausting workdays.
Straightforward and direct, Reed was “no nonsense” and kept things in order in her classroom and in the school building as a whole.
“It didn’t tick without her,” Marshia said of Chelsea Public School.
Reed’s partner of 30 years, Paul Osgood, still lives in their home in Chelsea.
“We met on a ball field playing with the kids,” he said. “We’ve been together ever since.”
The pair spent much of their time together snowmobiling and building a camp in Island Pond, Vt.
At home, Osgood would help Reed entertain the children that she watched in their home.
“(Judy) was a great lady, fun to be with, and a hard worker,” Osgood said.
Inspired by her dedication and love for her work, Reed’s two sons hope to be able to find a similar passion for their purpose in their own lives.
“She gave a lot of effort, expected no recognition, and got a lot of it,” Casey said. “It wasn’t an obligation (for her), it was a choice.”
“Looking back at her accomplishments, (I think) maybe I should do more,” Cory said, who wants to find ways to stay connected and give back to his community like his mother did.
“I’m a little envious of her,” Casey added, noting that not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy the work they do throughout life.
Reed touched the lives of many as an educator, athletic director, and caretaker. Her diverse passions and involvements enriched the community of Chelsea, and her contributions continue to be appreciated by friends, family, and former students.
“When you think of the community of Chelsea, you think of Judy,” Cruz said.