Judith Villarrubia 1942-2021 ….
Judith Villarrubia 1942-2021
Early on the morning of Nov. 23, Judy Villarrubia, beloved wife of Manny for over 52 years, peacefully passed away.
Born in Brooklyn to Rose and George Kamelhar, she spent most of her childhood there and graduated from Erasmus High School the same year as Barbra Streisand (no, they didn’t hang out). That summer, she toured Europe with her best friend Ellie, and the continent is still buzzing about those two and their antics. Upon her return, like most women of that time, Judy found a job as a secretary, wearing proper business garb down to the gloves, and made her career debut.
Eventually, she decided to continue her education and enrolled part-time in New York University’s sociology curriculum in 1961. Approximately two-and-a-half years after that, she wed Manuel, and the real fun began.
Upon graduation, she secured a position as a caseworker with the New York welfare system. Whoops, big mistake. But luck was in her corner. Leaving welfare, she landed a job with The Actors Fund, a much better fit. Judy got to work with Colleen Dewhurst, plus see lots of plays. After a five-year stint there, she was laid off due to staff reduction. No problems.
As luck would have, it she found immediate employment at CBS as an assistant album cover director. While there, she befriended James Taylor, Miles Davis, Cyndi Lauper and many other musicians who were on the label. The Sony takeover resulted in a Columbia personnel purge, so Judy decided to leave and go over to the AF of M, who been “head hunting” her for months. She remained there as a royalty administrator until her retirement.
Judy had a great smile and a fine sense of humor. She liked to dance, starting out with folk dancing, then to rock and roll to jazz lessons at Luigi’s famous studio in New York.
Finally, she found her true calling with Zumba.
She loved to travel, visiting Spain, Italy, China and New Zealand, among other destinations.
Admittedly, Judy was a bit of a klutz, but that didn’t stop her from playing tennis (won a tournament), as well as practicing tai chi and yoga. During her married life in NY, she and Manny saw just about every major on and off Broadway show. Betty Buckley and Christine Andreas were some of the Cabaret performers she got to know and watch. One of her guilty pleasures was to sit on the beach, watch the water and just zone out. She was practical yet always willing to try new things.
In 2009, they moved to California and lived in Long Beach for a year, then settled in Seal Beach until her passing. Judy had friends and relatives on both coasts. She is survived by Manny; her niece Dawn; nephews Lloyd and Craig; and sister-in-law Martha. We’ll deeply miss her; she was a great trouper.
- paid obituary
