judy Edelstein Horowitz

judy Edelstein Horowitz, wife of the late Terry Horowitz with whom she nurtured an ardent and enduring marriage for over 67 years, died on July, 31st 2023. A native Washingtonian born in 1937, judy was the loved and loving only child of Esther (Adler) and Joseph Edelstein. judy decided that her first name should begin with a lower case “j”.  It will be so noted here.

judy’s inextinguishable devotion to Terry transcended his passing in 2020.  Together they had created “Elysium” – the secluded woodland home that Terry had designed and built in 1968. They filled it with their three children, judy’s paintings, books, and the dramatic antique furniture they collected.  Today, their family has grown in diverse directions. Son Mark resides in Washington, DC with his wife Loie Clark.  Daughter Erica Horowitz Casanova, her husband Marc Casanova, and their sons Michael and Joey all live in Arizona.  Son Evan and Evan’s wife Leslie both pre-deceased judy, sadly long before their time. Thankfully, their sons survive them: Yosef (Jason) lives in Israel with his wife Dalit, and Brandon now lives in New York.  Evan’s fiancée at the time of his passing, Heather Parks, and her children Jessica and Michael, have become welcome additions to judy’s extended family.

judy graduated from Coolidge High School and attended American University until her marriage. She later resumed her studies and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Maryland. For several years she was on the faculty of the Maryland College of Art and Design and served on the Montgomery County Arts Council. In addition to her painting, she spent untold hours crafting poems and a novel that awaits publication.

Above all, judy was a professional portrait artist devoted to using Old Masters’ techniques in oil paintings.  It was a joy to visit the National Gallery with her to hear her deep insights into Leonardo, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals.  In her own work, she was known for her uncanny ability to capture the essence of her subjects and for enhancing her portraits with details and settings dear to them – from fine jewelry to heavy construction machinery. In addition to many, many private contracts judy was sought out for official portraits for public display. She painted official portraits of five Federal Circuit Court judges: Howard T. Markey, Giles Sunderland Rich, Oscar Davis, Pauline Newman, S. Jay Plager; plus Judge Lawrence Baskir of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.  Two secretaries of the Department of Labor, Ray Donovan and Ray Marshall, sat for judy, as did Collot Guerard of the Federal Trade Commission. In Maryland, the portrait of former State Treasurer Lucille Maurer hangs in the State Treasury Building in Annapolis. Within the University of Maryland, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and political scientist James MacGregor Burns’ portrait is in the Academy of Leadership, and Dr. Michael Fisher’s portrait hangs in UMD Hospital.  At the University of Virginia Dr. Gerald D. Aurbach’s portrait hangs in the Aurbach Medical Research Building.  Homer S. Gudelsky’s portrait was commissioned for the Gudelsky Institute of Technical Education at Montgomery College.  The portrait of the late journalist Irving R. Levine is in private hands. She was particularly gratified when asked by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that she replicate the only known portrait of Raoul Wallenberg from a Swedish original.

judy believed laughter is the greatest gift one can give – a faith that explains her passion for humor and practical jokes. No appreciation of her life would be complete without citing some them, in no particular order. 1: One day she and Terry were in a rather crowded elevator. judy “stage whispered” to him (in a way that others could hear): “Well, have you told your wife about us yet?”  It became something she would do with some frequency with variations on the shocking exclamations. 2: When having her regular physical, she would scheme to shock/amuse her doctor (who was also a cousin.) She wrote on her stomach: “This Side Up.” And once, the doctor came into the exam room after a long delay and found judy with a razor blade in one hand and fake blood across the opposite wrist. 3: She greeted one first-time guest at the door wearing a witch’s hat with her teeth blacked out. 4: On more than one occasion she was in a hospital room with one of her children sitting next to her holding her hand. A nurse would come in to take vitals, etc. and judy motioned the nurse closer, conspiratorially, point at her child, and ask: “Who’s that? Are they with the hospital?” 5: judy and Terry hosted a very formal dinner party—crystal, silver, china, candles, the works. She entered the dining room with a tureen of soup. She got to the head of the table and “tripped.” A rubber chicken then went rolling down the long table. 6: Lasik eye surgery?  Simple – after which judy lay in the recovery room, comfortably turned on her side with her back to the door.  Time passes and the doctor taps at the door: “How ya doin’ judy?” She responds with concern: “I don’t know doc, I think something’s wrong.” She turned toward him and was wearing glasses with eyeballs on springs. 7: judy’s very last outing was for a dental appointment; when the dentist came in to examine her she smiled, revealing fluorescent green, plastic vampire teeth. judy was also a hopeful romantic, an inclination that began early – and Terry was a willing co-conspirator. When they were dating in the 1950s, they would go to Union Station for a free date. They’d go to a departure gate to join other passengers waiting for their train.  judy and Terry would spend 10-15 minutes kissing each other goodbye. The train would leave. They’d go to the next gate. And the next. She will be greatly missed by all who were lucky enough to know and love her.