Judy Cusick (Age 75) A former Fairfax County high school English teacher who later became an award-winning book editor at the National Science Teachers Association died peacefully in her sleep on Monday, October 7, 2019 at the Capital Caring Adler Center in Aldie, Virginia. The cause of death was metastatic breast cancer. Born Judith Ann Cusick on January 8, 1944 in New York City, Judy spent most of her youth in Westbury, Long Island, where she excelled in school. Judy graduated from Westbury Senior High School in 1961 and received a BA from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, in 1965. Judy taught high school English for five years including two years at Madison High School in Vienna before attending Harvard University to earn a Master's Degree in Education. In 1973 she moved to Washington, DC, soon married and moved to Arlington, Virginia, where she raised two children. While a full-time mom, Judy also worked part-time as a teacher of English as a second language at Northern Virginia Community College and as a freelance proof-reader and editor for a variety of publications including U.S. News and World Report and Heldref Publications. Throughout her life, Judy was an inveterate reader, which helped her become a superlative editor. From 2000 through 2011, she was senior editor for NSTA Press, the book publishing arm of the National Science Teachers Association-where she was known for her high editorial standards and keen eye for detail. Many of the books she helped create won top national awards in educational publishing. During her 40-plus years in Arlington, Judy quietly took on numerous community service projects including editing a newsletter for a women's shelter, volunteering at a local hospice, serving as a book buddy at Randolph Elementary School, teaching English to immigrants at a local church, tutoring reading skills one-on-one with elderly residents, and more recently donating innumerable boxes of cereal and satchels of children's books to the Arlington Food Pantry near Four Mile Run. Judy also was an active member of AA and received her 15-year pin for sobriety last month. In addition to community service, Judy's other major interests were reading, listening to the opera, kibitzing daily with her husband about the inconsistencies of the English language, and spoiling her two granddaughters, Lily Kiernan and Olivia Rodriguez, both age 2. Judy was preceded in death by her father, David Cusick and her mother Mary (Hake) Cusick. Besides her two granddaughters, Judy is survived by her husband of 44 years, Michael Kiernan, of Arlington, VA; two children David Kiernan and Elizabeth Rodriguez, both of Loudoun County; their spouses Rebecca Kiernan and Fernando Rodriguez; a brother Timothy Cusick and his wife Shirley Chao, of Andover, MA, a brother-in-law Joseph Timothy Kiernan, as well as many cousins, nephews and a niece. Judy requested that her body be donated to Georgetown Medical School. A memorial mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 28 at St. Ann's Catholic Church, 5312 10th St N, Arlington, VA 22205. Those wishing to make donations in Judy's name are encouraged to contribute to Reading Is Fundamental at www.rif.orgJudy requested that her body be donated to Georgetown Medical School. A memorial mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 28 at St. Ann's Catholic Church, 5312 10th St N, Arlington, VA 22205. Those wishing to make donations in Judy's name are encouraged to contribute to Reading Is Fundamental at www.rif.org
Published in The Washington Post on Oct. 13, 2019