Judith Churchman Messinger

Judith (Judy) Churchman Messinger, 91, of Chapel Hill, NC passed away peacefully with her family at her side on October 6th, 2025.

Judy was born on August 14th, 1934 in the village of Ottawa Hills near Toledo, Ohio. After attending elementary and high school in Ottawa Hills, she graduated from Centenary Junior College in Hackettstown, NJ and moved to Coral Gables, FL to teach school. She moved to San Diego, CA where she met Emerson Messinger, a Naval officer, on a blind date. Emerson was also from the Toledo area and his mother, Evelyn, taught Judy home economics in high school. They returned to Toledo and were married at a ceremony under a tent in the rain at the home of her parents in June 1957. After raising three children, they divorced after 21 years of marriage in June 1978.

Judy served as the Executive Director of the Kidney Foundation of Northwestern Ohio for many years. She also worked at Lion Store to allow her son, Jeff, and his then-fiancé, Mary, to utilize her employee discount on items for the wedding and from their wedding registry. In the mid-1990s, she moved to North Carolina where she managed daycares primarily to help with the care of her grandchildren. She also helped both of her sons raise their children where she earned the moniker “Grandma Poof’s taxi service” based on the appearance of her hair after visiting the salon. Once the grandchildren were older, she served as the assistant to the Chief of Cardiology at Duke University Hospital.

Judy enjoyed needlepoint and stitched many items for her family including Christmas ornaments to commemorate important events and passions in their lives. She stitched more than 100 ornaments which will provide her family with lasting memories of her during the holidays. Judy was also an avid Duke fan and enjoyed playing bridge with the “Bridge Broads”.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Britton Dale Churchman and Mildred Lehman Churchman; her brother, Richard William Churchman; and her beloved Flat-coated Retriever, Baxter. She is survived by her daughter Michelle Messinger Aseltine and her husband Chris Aseltine of Bradenton, FL along with grandchildren Andrew and Victoria, and five great grandchildren; her son, Jeffrey Bronson Messinger and his wife Mary King Messinger of Hillsborough, NC along with grandchildren Steven and Geri; her son, Gregory Warne Messinger of Durham, NC along with grandchildren Timothy, Alexander, and Britton; and her brother, James Wright Churchman of Midland, MI.

No visitation is planned. A private family service will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Eric and Laura Montross Fund (https://montrossbasketballcamp.com/), the Kidney Foundation of Northwestern Ohio (https://kfnwo.org/donate-now/), or an organization of the donor’s choice.