Judith A (Murphy) DeFilippo of Hingham died unexpectedly on Saturday, June 17. She was 76.

Judy was born in Boston on March 4, 1941. She was the daughter of the late Kenneth F. and Vicki (Newman) Murphy of Quincy and Vineyard Haven and graduated with the class of 1958 from North Quincy High School, where she was on the committee that created the beloved mascot Yakoo. She went on to graduate from Bridgewater State College in 1962. In 1963 she married her husband of 54 years, Gerald J. DeFilippo. She continued her education and received a masters in TESOL from Boston University in 1976.

She spent summers on the Vineyard with her family through her college years. She learned to swim from her dad, Ken Murphy, who taught swimming lessons at West Chop for 50 years. There is a memorial to her father and grandfather at the big pier at the Chop. Later, Judy took lifesaving lessons from the lifeguard at Owen Park, Carol Scribner, and learned to perfect “the crawl,” as we called it. She swam daily laps between the Owen Park dock and the ferry dock while, unbeknownst to her, entertaining people on the beach who marveled at her beautiful swimming and speculated about how many miles she would travel. (On average it was two miles.)

Judy worked at Stam’s restaurant in her earlier teen years and during her last full summer on the Island she was a lifeguard at Menemsha beach. She met her husband, Jerry, who worked at the Navigator room in Edgartown, on the Island, and they were married at the Dunes at South Beach in 1963. She taught third grade in Stamford and Naugatuck, Conn. before becoming a stay at home mom until her children entered public schools. She then taught English as a Second Language at the Northeastern University English Language Center for over 20 years. She was the past president of the Massachusetts Association of Teachers to Speakers of Other Languages, she supervised student teachers getting master’s degrees in ESL from Simmons College, and taught a methods course at Simmons. Judy also trained international teaching assistants who needed to improve their English skills.

She was an author and co-author of 12 English as a Second Language textbooks including Skill Sharpeners, Grammar Plus, and Dictations for Discussion, used all over the world. Some books were targeted for the immigrant/refugee communities, some for high school students, and others for pre-university intensive ESL programs. In 2015 she was honored with the Dr. George A. Weygand Award for outstanding dedication to the Bridgewater Alumni Association, and she was also actively involved with her high school alumni and reunion committee.

Judy traveled extensively around the world, including a heartwarming trip to Norway, where her maternal grandparents were born. She also travelled to Russia and Israel, where she was invited to share her teaching methods. Judy frequented the Hingham Public Library, where she would emerge with an armload of mystery novels, favoring British authors for their detailed characterizations. She was a wonderful cook, a gracious host, a proud, loving grandmother, a delightful auntie, an amazing mother and wife, a loving sister, a faithful friend, a dedicated teacher and an extremely generous person. She lived life globally, and her loss will be felt around the academic world and in the hearts of her many friends and loved ones forever.

She is survived by her husband, Jerry; her son, John; and her daughter, Marisa, and her husband, Jeff Peek, of Sudbury and their two children, Courtney and Connor. She also leaves sister Lois Doherty and her husband, Bill, of Rockland; her sister Pam Peterson of Greenland, N.H;. and her brother Frank Murphy and his wife Carol of Santa Fe, N.M.; 15 nieces and nephews, and many cherished friends, colleagues and former students.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend visiting hours on Thursday, June 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald street in Hingham. A celebration of life service will be held at the funeral home on Friday, June 23 at 10:30 a.m. Interment will take place at High Street Cemetery in Hingham.

In lieu of flowers, a North Quincy High School scholarship fund is being established in Judy’s name. Donations can also be made to UNICEF, your local library, or the charity of your choice, and please pay forward her kindness by doing a kind gesture for someone else.