Judith D McMullan

Surrounded by her loving family, Judith Diane McMullan of Albuquerque, NM passed away peacefully in the early dawn on March 4, 2022. A monumental figure, Jude, Judy, or Judith was born in 1950 to the parents of James and Mary McMullan, as the first of eleven children. She lived an unapologetically bold and courageous life throughout her seventy-one years filled with straightforward no-nonsense honesty. She will be remembered for her fierce independence and determination, working diligently to gain equal footing for women in the workplace. She was a feminist before it was fashionable, and a labor rights organizer during some of the toughest times in our nation’s employment history. She is known as a fighter for equal pay for equal work, often forgoing a paycheck while she stood in solidarity with her union contemporaries on the picket line.  

She believed in the power of family, spending many hours at the “kitchen table” on Menaul with the Budaghers - her son and grandsons in tow, and taking special care to give her nieces and nephews an experience at the Dollar Store.  She was a lifelong communication worker and union president with CWA Local 7011 and Mountain Bell, a children’s cancer research administrator for Carrie Tingley, and served the public on many politically appointed committees. She loved lemons with copious amounts of salt, movies about love or adventure, any unfinished project that included a large array of power tools, all animals big and small to include her horse Lucky, and could be seen throwing a nickel or two into the many slot machines around New Mexico. She had big dreams, a deep sense of responsibility for others, a dry sense of humor and challenging wit, and a huge heart that cannot be matched. Most of all, and most importantly, she was a loving and devoted mother, passionate protector of her beautiful grandsons, dedicated sister and aunt, and beloved figure to a family too large and unwieldy to ever manage.

Judith is survived by her son James Boles, his wife Meredith, their two children Hudson and Everett, and six siblings Marilyn Manatt, Robert McMullan, Sallie Clifford, Tom McMullan, Janie Blue, and Sheila McMullan. She is preceded in death by her parents James Jay McMullan and Mary Budagher McMullan, and siblings James, Beverly, Barbara, and Coeen McMullan. Her memory will forever leave a mark on our hearts, and with your generous support in lieu of flowers, numerous children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org and UNM Carrie Tingley Hospital for children, http://www.carrietingleyhospitalfoundation.org.

A service will be held at 11:00 on Thursday, March 10 at First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho am with Si Budagher officiating. Rite of Christian burial will occur Friday, March 11 at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Las Cruces, NM at 11:00. A Zoom or Facebook link will be provided on the church website.