GMHC Deeply Mourns the Loss of Judith Peabody

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Krishna Stone | 212.367.1016

Judith Peabody
1930 – 2010

GMHC deeply mourns the loss of one of our extraordinary treasures.  Judith Peabody became involved with GMHC in the early 1980s because so many of her closest friends were dying of AIDS.   When this devastating epidemic began, the urgency of the situation compelled her to join others in doing whatever had to be done in providing care and support for those who had been affected.

Dr. Mathilde Krim, Founding Chairman of amFAR, suggested that Judy offer her time to volunteer at GMHC, then in its infancy.  With years of experience leading a support group at the drug rehabilitation center in Harlem known as the Reality House, Judy continued bringing grace and wisdom and, above all, compassion to GMHC.  She and John Tatarakis co-facilitated a support group for partners and parents of those with AIDS for 17 years.  Though Judy retired as a volunteer in 2008, John continues to lead the group to this day.

Along with volunteering, Judy was a member of GMHC’s Board of Directors from 1987 to 1993.  She and her husband Sam became longtime donors to GMHC’s President’s Council.  Judy was also a pioneering fundraiser for GMHC and many other AIDS-related organizations and events.  

In 2005, she was honored along with Stan Herman for their exceptional support at “Music for Life,” a glittering evening of opera and classical music, at Avery Fisher Hall.  In 2007, she and Louis Bradbury were honored for their visionary leadership and support at a reception marking the 10th anniversary of GMHC’s David Geffen Center for HIV Prevention and Health Education and the co-located Center for Special Studies David E. Rogers Unit of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. 

Always known for her incredible elegance yet down-to-earth demeanor, Judy shared at the reception, “All of us affected by AIDS must continue to help each other through the daily challenges brought on by this horrific disease.” 

On behalf of the thousands of people touched by Judy Peabody throughout her work at GMHC, we offer our condolences and love to her husband Sam and her daughter Elizabeth, and pledge to honor her lifelong commitment to people living with and affected by AIDS through the work we do each day.