Judith Ellen (Brushwood) Erickson

Judith (Judy) Ellen Brushwood Erickson, of Beltsville, Md passed away on Saturday July 18, 2020 of natural causes with her daughter by her side..

Judy was born in Coshocton, Ohio on February 23, 1942, to Dan (d. May 27 1979) and Lillian (Scheetz) Brushwood (d. October 11, 1998). She graduated from Keene High School in 1960. She moved to Maryland in 1965, and worked at NIH, where she met her future husband. On Sun, March 19, 1967, she married Kenneth Douglas Erickson (d. May 23, 1988). She worked at the Engineering Library (EPSL) at the University of Maryland for many years.

Judy is survived by her daughter Jennifer Lynn Erickson Dryer, her son-in-law Theodore “Reese” Dryer, brothers John and Marion, sister-in-law Marcia, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends.

Judy was an alumna of Ohio State University, and would return to OSU for Buckeye football games. One of her favorite things there was watching the marching band perform Script Ohio.

She was very active in her Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, both in her collegiate years, and as an alumna. She was initiated into the Alpha Zeta chapter in Ohio State in 1961. She was a member of both the ZTA DC and Silver Spring alumnae groups, as well the Washington DC Panhellenic Alumnae group. She was awarded the ZTA Honor Ring, the highest individual honor granted by the fraternity for outstanding and sustained service to the fraternity.

She was also a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and enjoyed spending time helping with genealogy research, and serving as a Docent in the DAR Museum.

She loved gardening, and was a member of the Beltsville garden club. She became a certified master gardener. One of her favorite things was eating tomatoes fresh off the vine. She also really liked quilts and quilt shows.

She was loved greatly, and will be missed so much.

A small private graveside service is scheduled for July 24, 2020 at South Lawn Cemetery, Coshocton Ohio, but her family hopes to hold a celebration of life in 2021. The family would be grateful for any photos, condolences, stories and remembrances about Judy, and they may be sent to judy@treefrogs.org. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation.