Judith Rae Luther

Judith Rae Widmar Welsh Luther, April 20, 1943-September 7, 2025. Our beloved mother Judy passed away during the early morning hours of September 7, 2025, following a brief illness. She graced us with her love and humor until the end.  Judy was born in Denver, Colorado on April 20, 1943 to Velma. When she was a young girl Bill Widmar entered their lives and adopted her and her sister after marrying Velma. She spent a lot of time in the mountains fishing with her dad and exploring the mountains of Colorado. She graduated from Holy Family High School in Denver in 1961.  In 1963 she married Mike Welsh and together they had 3 children, Bill, Cathy, and Mark. The adventures in the mountains continued, jeeping on the 4 wheel drive roads and camping without anyone else around. In 1974 they moved to Coal Creek Canyon, above Golden, where Judy met her sister from another mother, Pam Gillespie, and formed what would be a lifelong friendship. Living in the mountains was a lot of work, but also so much fun, and we made so many memories of Christmas celebrations and everyday living. We can still smell the cookies and hear the laughter from those days. In 1978 the family moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico for a job opportunity at the National Laboratory. Judy made friends everywhere she went, with her welcoming smile and kind heart, and made many good friends in Los Alamos. She spent her time raising her children, cheering them and their friends on in everything they did, and worked at several medical offices. In 1991 she moved with Mike to Denver, where they ended up divorcing. She stayed in Denver for about a year before the mountains called again and she moved to Salida, Colorado. She started working for Walmart during this time, becoming the personnel manager for the Salida store. As always, she made many friends and we all enjoyed visiting her in her mountain paradise. She met Paul Luther in Salida and they fell in love and were married. Together they continued exploring the mountains, seeing where dirt roads would go and camping. In 2008 they moved to New Mexico where they enjoyed exploring new places, growing a garden with plenty of delicious green chile, and spending time with family. We will forever remember Mom’s smile, laughter, sense of humor, and kind heart. We will miss you and love you always.

She is preceded in death by her parents Bill and Velma, and her husband Paul. 

She is survived by her children Bill, Cathy (Rick), and Mark (Rachel); grandchildren Colin (Kelsey), Megan (Mike), Robyn (Tony), Patrick, Shane, Ouray, Phillip (Billy), and Jehoran; great grandchildren Kinsley, Tucker, Parker, and Kallie. 

A rosary and funeral mass will be held Monday, September 15 at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 126 S McCurdy Road, Espanola, NM. The rosary will be held at 10:00 a.m., followed by the funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. Following mass Judy will be laid to rest with Paul at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, with an internment service at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

The family of Judith Luther has entrusted the care of their loved one to the DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Espanola Valley 505-747-7477.