Judith B. Livingston, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, and faithful friend, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 30, 2026, in Charleston, South Carolina, at the age of 97. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am at Holy Spirit Catholic Church Saturday, September 5, 2026. The Rite of Committal will follow at the church cemetery.

Born on September 29, 1928, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Judith was just two years old when the hardships of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl led her parents to make the difficult journey west to Southern California in search of a better life. There, she grew up and graduated from Jordan High School in Long Beach in 1946.

Only a few months after graduation, and just two weeks before her eighteenth birthday, Judith married her World War II Merchant Marine sweetheart, Ralph E. Livingston. Their marriage would last 67 years, carrying them through the joys and challenges of raising a family and building a life together.

Judith and Ralph eventually settled in Anaheim, California, where they raised their eight children. Their home was filled with the bustle of a large family and with the many gifts Judith brought to those she loved. She was a talented baker, seamstress, quilter, and crocheter, always creating something with her hands. Her famous butterhorn rolls, cinnamon buns, and homemade pizzas became treasured memories for generations of family and friends.

Judith was not a woman who believed that life should become smaller simply because her children had grown up and moved away. Rather than quietly remaining at home, she went to work in the kitchens of the Anaheim School District, preparing lunches for generations of children and young adults. She worked hard, saved her money, and used it to pursue another of her great passions: travel. Among her adventures were journeys to Italy and Israel, places she had long dreamed of seeing.

After Ralph's death, Judith once again embraced a new chapter. In 2016, she moved to the beautiful Lowcountry of Charleston, South Carolina, where she made a new home and continued to enjoy the beauty, history, and character of the place she had chosen for her later years.

Throughout her life, Judith remained deeply devoted to her Catholic faith. She generously gave many years of service to the communities of the Institute of the Apostolic Oblates and the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul, volunteering her time and talents in support of their work and ministry. Her faith was not simply something she professed; it was an important part of the life she lived.

Judith is survived by two daughters, Luanne M. (Dennis Duus) and Jane Livingston Upasi (Marshal); four sons, Paul M. Livingston (Becca), Mark T. Livingston (Colleen), Kevin B. Livingston (Roseann) and Philip L. Livingston (Debra); thirteen grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren.

She was talented, witty, charming, strong-willed, and, on occasion, thoroughly infuriating. She could make you laugh, make you exasperated, and make you feel loved, sometimes all in the same conversation. She had a personality that could not be ignored and a spirit that could not easily be contained.

But above all else, Judith loved her family.

Her greatest legacy is not found only in the things she made with her hands, the places she traveled, or the years she gave in service to others. It lives on in the eight children she raised, the generations that followed, the traditions she created, the stories that will continue to be told, and the love she gave so freely and imperfectly—the way only a mother can.

She lived through nearly a century of American history. She knew hardship and prosperity, loss and joy, work and adventure, and the profound blessings of family. She made a life, she made a home, she made memories, and she left an indelible mark on the people who were fortunate enough to know her.

Judith lived a long and beautiful life.

And she will be deeply missed.

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. West Ashley Chapel.

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