Chattanooga – Judith Palmer (Judy) Hamilton, 79, of Chattanooga went home to be with the Lord on February 8, 2026 after a brief battle with congestive heart failure.
Judy was born in York, Pa. and was raised in Allentown, Pa.. She was a graduate of Allen High School where she was a member of the school Color Guard.
She later attended Marion College, Radford University, and Kutztown State University. Judy met her husband of 51 years, John, at a mixer while at Radford.
Judy taught school at Sheridan Elementary in Allentown for eight years before John was transferred to Chattanooga in 1977 where she became a teacher at Calvin Donaldson Elementary for the next 10 years. She was a great teacher who cared deeply for her kids.
She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church.
After her father’s death, she took her mother into her home and cared for her for 18 years.
Judy loved all types of animals including her pets; Katie 1, Doby, Buddy, Molly and Katie 2 and she donated generously to a number of animal support organizations.
She played in a tennis league for Mountain Shadows and loved dancing, Braves baseball, Virginia Tech sports, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Judy and John went on a number of cruises to the Caribbean and Mediterranean and loved spending time at Hilton Head.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Lydia Palmer.
She is survived by her husband, John; brothers and sisters in law, Bob and Karen Hamilton of Centennial, Colo.; Jim and Betsy Hamilton of Raleigh, N.C.; nephews, Robert Earl (Natassia), Robert Everett (Susan), Christopher, and niece, Virginia. She is also survived by several cousins, Susia Craver of York, Pa., Karen Bailey of Dallas, Texas and Steve Bergman of Norton, Ohio.
A special thanks to her friend, Sandy N. for helping out at the hospital and Hearth Hospice for their care.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or to McKamey Animal Shelter.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday March 21, 2026, at the funeral home.
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