Obituary of Judith Marguerite Dunlop

Judith Marguerite Dunlop BSW, MSW, PhD February 7th, 1944 – December 28th, 2023 With heavy hearts and deep sorrow, we announce that Dr. Judith Dunlop passed away peacefully on December 28th, 2023 after a sudden illness, with her family by her side at University Hospital in London, Ontario. She was dearly loved by her husband and partner of 34 years Thomas Howitt, her daughters Rebecca Terry and Amanda Terry, and her extended family. Judith was very proud to be a mother, grandmother, and wife and deeply cherished all her relationships with family and friends. As a social worker, Judith was committed to social justice and engaged in community development work throughout her career. She completed her PhD in Social Work in 2002 at Memorial University and held academic positions at the University of Maine and the University of Windsor before joining King’s University College at Western University where she was an Associate Professor. In 2014 she became Professor Emerita at King’s. Judith was an active academic, teaching community organization and development at the graduate and undergraduate level in Canada and the United States and mentoring students; she was recognized for this work with awards for excellence in teaching. She was an innovator in her academic career, engaging in research that broke new ground by bringing different disciplines together to respond to community challenges and focusing on the use of technology to support social work practice. In 2016, she co-developed and published a manual to guide community practitioners in the authentic engagement of service users as partners in community planning activities. Judith also had a private practice where she provided counselling and guidance to her clients, helping them through personal challenges. The support Judith provided to others was a theme throughout her life – she would make friends and find resources wherever she went, and she would never hesitate to advocate and to offer assistance and connections when needed. Judith was a vibrant and highly intelligent person with energy to spare; she loved to take action and make change happen in her life and her career. Her home was her refuge, and she took great pleasure in designing and decorating her homes, creating spaces that looked worthy of spotlight in home décor publications. Reading a good book at home and listening to music with her kitties curled up by the fireplace made her very happy. She loved to travel, especially to Scotland to visit family and friends, heeding the call of her ancestors to come home. To respect Judith’s wishes, cremation has occurred, and a private interment will take place at Pinehill Cemetery near Thedford, Ontario. Expressions of sympathy may be made through London Cremation Services (519) 672-0459 or online at www.londoncremation.com. If you wish, please consider making a donation in memory of Judith to the charity of your choice.