Tribute

Judith Shanks Denton, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, wanderer who was never lost, passed away on Tuesday, October 15th, 2024, surrounded by family in her home. Born on November 22, 1943 in Monroe, Louisiana to Olivia Harris Shanks and Eugene Baylis Shanks, Judy attended the Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating as valedictorian. Growing up, Judy got an early start on her teaching career by insisting on teaching math to her preschool younger brother. She developed a taste for new adventures and loved games, being with friends, parties, and dancing - performing as a regular on the 5 O'Clock Hop. Judy was a scholar and teacher who loved travel and adventure. She was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi honors societies and the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She studied mathematics at Vanderbilt, pursued a Fulbright scholarship that took her to Belgium, then became a teacher in the American School of Lebanon. She was evacuated back to the US when war came to Beirut in 1967, and moved to New York to attend graduate school at Columbia University. In August 1968, Judy had the good fortune to meet the love of her life, Ira Claude Denton, Jr., on a blind date in Nashville. The couple married just 6 weeks later, and enjoyed the next 56 years together. Judy and Ira continued to explore, living in Tennessee, Switzerland, West Virginia, Florida, and New Mexico before settling in Texas for many years. Judy taught mathematics at community colleges across four states, and at St. Mark’s School in Dallas, while raising her two children. Ever intellectually curious, Judy was lured back to school by the advent of personal computers. After earning a PhD in electrical engineering from SMU, she joined NASA in Huntsville, AL. When rocket science proved insufficiently challenging, Judy and Ira started their own company, CapMed, to pioneer the digitalization of medical records. In 2002, Judy and Ira finally launched their “year 2000 plan,” and studied their way around the world with Semester at Sea. Enraptured with Southeast Asia, they retired abroad and lived in Thailand and Vietnam for several years before moving to Colorado to settle down close to their younger grandchildren. In these years, she imparted her sense of wonder and love of travel to her grandchildren through exotic trips around the globe with each of them. Judy also returned to teaching mathematics at community college, which continued to bring her joy. Judy is survived by her husband, Ira Claude Denton, Jr; brother, Eugene Baylis Shanks, Jr (Susan); son, Claude Denton (Carrie Huguenin); daughter, Olivia Lucas (Aaron); grandchildren, Cecile and Gabe Denton and Isaac and Eva Lucas. We will miss her terribly, but we know she is still part of everything, just in a different way. A memorial service will be held at Anthem Ranch Aspen Lodge on November 17 at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dallas Foundation: https://www.dallasfoundation.org/.

Friends & Family