Carol Ann Judge

Former Montana First Lady Carol Ann Judge, 73, passed away on Dec. 7, 2014.  

She was born June 7, 1941, in Los Angeles to Kermit and Hazel Anderson. The family moved back to Helena when she was 10. In 1962, she graduated with honors from Montana State University with a degree in nursing and earned her master’s in psychiatric nursing in 1983 also from MSU.

Carol accepted her first nursing job in Missoula in 1962, starting a career that spanned a half-century. She applied her skills with grace and compassion, whether as a public health nurse, school nurse, nurse consultant for the state, a Veterans Administration hospital nurse, or an addictions and mental health counselor.

In fall 1966, Carol established Helena’s first Home Health Agency at St. Peter’s Hospital, with the strong support of the hospital administrator.

In 1973, when her husband Thomas Judge became governor, she began a tireless campaign to improve the 12 state institutions. Her initial focus was on the state psychiatric hospital in Warm Springs, and the Boulder River School and Hospital, now the Montana Developmental Center.

She enlisted help from people all across the state — medical professionals, legislators and their wives, concerned citizens, friends, family and co-workers from the past. Over the next several years, each of the institutions was updated and significant improvements were made in staffing. By the end of Tom Judge’s second term as governor, Carol had visited all 12 institutions to personally witness the improvements.

In the early 1970s, Carol joined first ladies from across the country to address another major problem —  dangerously low immunization rates in children. The ensuing “Every Child in ‘76” campaign culminated in major legislation signed into law by Gov. Judge in 1979.

Similar success was seen in Carol’s efforts to reform the approach taken to substance abuse issues. By 1974, it was coming to the public’s attention that substance abuse was a treatable condition. This realization helped to reduce the stigma around alcohol and drug abuse, and to facilitate compassionate and effective treatment.

Building on the American Medical Association’s landmark decision recognizing alcoholism as a disease, Carol coordinated efforts to codify that classification into Montana law. These efforts paid off in the 1975 legislative session with passage of a bill adopting that classification and decriminalizing alcoholism.

In 1977, Carol’s advocacy on behalf of the chemically dependent and mentally ill was rewarded with her appointment to the Liaison Panel on Alcohol Related Problems for the President’s Mental Health Commission. During one memorable trip to Washington, D.C., Carol enjoyed a private meeting with first lady Rosalynn Carter in which they shared her thoughts on helping the mentally ill.

In 1987, Carol began a collaborative campaign to help nurses suffering from substance abuse. At the time, nurses found to be chemically dependent were often thrown into jail and had their nursing licenses revoked. In addition to losing their jobs, they sometimes also lost their families and even their lives due to suicide.

To turn this bleak situation around, Carol reached out to the Montana Nurses Association and Montana State Board of Nursing for help in establishing a Nurses Assistance Program. The legislation passed in 1989, and the first NAP was started in Missoula. At the present time, there are approximately 90 nurses receiving assessment, treatment and monitoring services through NAPs in the state.

In 1985, she began a 22-year career working at Fort Harrison Veterans Hospital. She was a dedicated advocate for those who had served their country, particularly those struggling with mental health or chemical dependency issues. After a brief retirement, she applied for a part-time RN position at the Behavioral Health Unit at St. Peter’s Hospital in 2009. When she became ill, she found it necessary to step down from this position.

In recognition of her contributions to the field of nursing in the state of Montana, in 2008 she was awarded the Montana Nurse’s Association Distinguished Nurse of the Year award.

Carol’s faith and spirit of service were central tenets of her personality. She was an active member of the St. Helena Cathedral parish, and a founding member of Family Promise. She served as a Eucharistic minister, delivering communion to the home-bound and assisting at funerals, and was also among the first group of volunteers for No One Dies Alone when it began its vigils at St. Peter’s Hospital.

Of all the many roles she had throughout her life, she always stated that her most cherished was being a mom. And as with the others, this was a role in which she truly excelled, exhibiting unending devotion to her children. She relished the close friendship she had with Thomas and Patrick.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Kermit and Hazel (Larson) Anderson; and her former husband Thomas Lee Judge.  

She is survived by her sons Thomas Warren Judge and Patrick Lane Judge; sister Shari Pettit; nieces Allison Carol Pettit and Jennifer Anna Fossum; and nephews Matthew Anderson Pettit and Edward “Ned” McLean Pettit. She also leaves behind her beloved cat, Frankie Mittens.

A funeral Mass will be held at the Cathedral of St. Helena on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, at noon with a reception immediately following in the Brondel Center, located in the lower level of the cathedral.  

Memorials may be sent to Poor Clares of Montana, 3020 18th Ave. South, Great Falls MT 59405; Cathedral of St. Helena, 530 North Ewing Street, Helena MT 59601; God’s Love, 533 North Last Chance Gulch, Helena MT 59601; Helena Food Share, 1616 Lewis Street, Helena MT 59601; St. Peter’s Hospice, 201 South California, Helena MT 59601; St. Peter’s Cancer Treatment Center, 2475 Broadway, Helena MT 59601; or a beneficiary of the donor’s choice.