Judith (Jude) Tulla

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Jude Tulla, at the age of 72, on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre from complications due to COPD and congestive heart failure.
 
Jude was born on November 17, 1950, in Binghamton, New York. She was raised and educated in Interlaken, New York, and attended Interlaken Central School. As a young woman, Jude participated in various sports, winning many awards in bowling and baseball. She was active in the school marching band, intermural sports, student council, honor society, the Red Cross program, concert band and travelled to Nicaragua as an exchange student where she was successful in procuring her pet Amazon Parrot "Rosita" that lived with her for 30 years.
 
Jude worked in numerous jobs over the course of her life. Many of the positions, she held, were considered non-traditional for a woman. Prior to immigrating to Canada in 2005, Jude worked at the Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University, the Boyce Thompson Institute for plant research also at Cornell, in Ithaca, NY, where she worked as a building mechanic. As well, she worked at the Cargill Salt Mine, in Lansing, NY, as one of the first woman salt miners to ever work in the mine and then at CBORD Group in Ithaca, in the electronics department, supporting technological services at different universities.
 
When Jude arrived in Thunder Bay, she worked short term or seasonal contracts at Home Depot, First Student, Inc. as a bus driver, and at CSI Northwest, formerly known as HAGI as a personal assistant to disabled persons. Upon moving to Longlac in 2009, she worked at the Geraldton Airport as a weather observer, at the OATC clinic and Barino Hardware in Longlac and finally at the Longlac Public Library, before retiring in 2022.
 
Ruth Bader Ginsberg was an inspirational figure to Jude. She identified with RBG’s advocacy for gender equality and women’s rights. She had a keen interest in politics and was particularly interested in issues related to the feminist movement, women’s labour rights in the early days, and advocating for the rights of all workers, in particular, those related to health and safety issues. She took great pride in all of her work. She was a strong advocate for the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people. Always ready to break new ground and test the limits, Jude was the first person in the state of New York to legally adopt as a single parent, and in doing so, set a precedent.
 
Despite Jude’s many health challenges, she remained optimistic and active, finding innovative ways to continue to do the things she loved, even to the point of rigging up supplemental oxygen while paddleboarding! She was active in the Longlac Seniors Club, participating in curling, carpet bowling, pool and volunteer work. And then there was golf! Thoughts of golf never strayed far from her mind, as she played as much as she could with her friends at the Kenogamisis Golf Club in Geraldton. Jude loved nature and the wide open spaces of the Canadian landscape. She loved feeding and watching the wild birds every winter and was always on alert for a rare bird sighting. She rescued many animals, from dogs and cats, to birds, including parrots. She was down to earth, with an excellent sense of adventure and an indomitable spirit. Her gift for connecting with people helped create special and lasting friendships wherever she went and lead to respect, steadfastness and loyalty for her many friends.
 
Jude is survived by her loving wife, of 23 years, Cheryl Dunk, (Longlac), son Christopher Brandli (Ithaca, NY), sister Connie Goldsmith (Interlaken, NY) and her children, Sara Goldsmith (Ithaca, NY) and Heather Faiella (Waverly, NY). She is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Pam Dunk (Carl) and Janice (Rick) Tolmie, and nieces and nephews, Lauren Tolmie, Lee Tolmie (Shannon), Carson Tolmie and Cassandra Tolmie (all of Thunder Bay). Jude was predeceased by her parents, Doris (Slaght) and Al Tulla, and brother, Stephen Tulla.
 
Jude’s family would like to express their gratitude for all the care Jude received from her doctors, specialists, nurses and all hospital staff at both the Geraldton District Hospital and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. We would like to thank Dr. Boake, who coordinated Jude’s care in her final days. A special thank you to Joanne Picard at the NorWest Community Health Centre Longlac for her ongoing care and concern.
 
There will be a celebration of life to honour Jude at the Senior Citizen Club in Longlac on Saturday, November 11, 2023, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Please bring stories to share; a light lunch will be served. As well, a gathering will be held in Thunder Bay at a later date.
 
If you so desire, in memory of Jude, donations can be made to the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society, Pet Save Sudbury or a charity of your choice.
 
"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
 
Condolences may be made through www.nwfainc.com