Judy Mae Grimes' Obituary
Judith Mae ”Judy” Grimes (Halliburton) passed peacefully on June 7, 2025 at her home in Denton, Texas while surrounded by family and loved ones. She was ready to meet her Lord and reunite with Ray, her beloved husband of more than seventy years.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 7, 1939 to Preston Samuel “Curly” Halliburton and Wilma Sue Halliburton (Farmer), Judy was the eldest of three sisters. Her father’s work followed the pipeline, and the family moved often, including stints in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Illinois, and Michigan. Judy was rarely able to remain in one school for the whole year.
While still a schoolgirl, in 1952 she met her future husband, Raymond Lee “Ray” Grimes, at the popcorn stand of the Denton Road Drive-In. Judy “accidentally” left her purse in his roadster, a prescient choice that led soon to marriage and later to four children. Married on June 22, 1953, Judy and Ray were inseparable from then until Ray’s death in November 2023 and could’ve been easily mistaken for newlyweds on any day during those 70 years.
Judy attended Crozier Tech in Dallas but left school after the eighth grade to raise her family. She recalled picking cotton at 14 while carrying her first child and the lack of indoor plumbing in that first home. She had four children by age 23 and became a grandmother at age 37.
Profound and unshakeable faith lightened her load. Baptized in 1956 at First Baptist in Farmer’s Branch, Judy was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Lewisville for years where she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. She later enjoyed decades as a leader of the International Bible Study Fellowship and was a member of Denton Bible Church. Each Easter and Christmas, she read aloud the stories of Christ’s resurrection and birth to gently remind her family the reason for the season. Later in life, she volunteered at Twice as Nice in Denton, a non-profit store that provided resources through Woman to Woman for young mothers in need. Throughout her long life, Judy showed prodigious generosity to her family, her friends, and anyone down on their luck.
She found success in the business world, overcoming the twin handicaps of an 8th grade education and numerous familial duties with perceptive intelligence and an iron will. She began her career at Huffines Motor Company in Lewisville in the late sixties, working as a secretary and taking bookkeeping classes on the side. In 1973, she joined M/A/R/C Research as a Staff Accountant. Judy earned several promotions, awards, and the universal respect of her colleagues before retiring from M/A/R/C in 2003 as Senior Vice President and Controller. A member of the company’s senior leadership, she led a team of more than 20 professionals, formed lifelong friendships, and was responsible for the financial well-being of a global, multi-million-dollar organization.
But she never forgot a birthday. Her Christmas card list resembled the phonebook of a medium-size town. Every holiday, graduation, anniversary, wedding, and birth was an excuse for Judy to host a joyous gathering in her home amidst the bluebonnets, Indian paint brushes, roses, and honeysuckle her green thumb had brought to life. She cooked the food and took the pictures, too. A gifted photographer, she leaves behind thousands of photos that instantly bring good memories back to life.
Somehow, Judy always found time for fun. She traveled the world with Ray, including trips to The Holy Land and Alaska. If music was playing, she wanted to dance and usually did. She had a child-like enthusiasm for games, enjoying horseshoes, bowling, and especially 42, where her table talk might’ve bent the rules but was always spectacularly entertaining.
Judy was a grandmother for almost fifty years, and she succeeded in giving her grandchildren the childhood she could not have. She took them to the beach, the slopes, and the bright lights of Branson. Fueled by waffles or hanky-pankies, Judy’s grandchildren (and later their kids) passed happy afternoons at her side--in the pool, on the trampoline, shooting fireworks, and riding four-wheelers. She gave them the gift of faith and a masterclass on how to love. Also, chores.
Judy was preceded in death by her mother and father, her husband Ray, and granddaughter Lindsey Grimes.
She is survived by her sisters Jean Campbell and Linda Moody and her brother-in-law Leon Campbell, son Ron Grimes and wife, Marnie, daughter Janet and her husband, Nick Perone, daughter Linda Fontaine and her husband, Stuart Bailey, daughter Connie and husband Bob Ellison, thirteen grandchildren--Keith McDaniel, Jeremy Ellison, Mindy Cummings, Daniel Grimes, Brandon Ellison, Molly Roberts, Connie Schmidt, Chris Drumheller, Amanda Drumheller, Sarah Mundy, Laurynn Howard, Noelle Grimes, Luke Grimes—and twenty-nine great-grandchildren.
The visitation will be held Tuesday, June 17 at 11:00am at Northview Baptist Church, 1981 N. Mill St., Lewisville, Texas followed by a celebration of life service at 12:00 pm led by Pastor Kenneth Wells.
In lieu of flowers, family asks to consider a donation to Bible Study Fellowship or Woman to Woman, organizations dear to Judy in life. https://www.bsfinternational.org/ http://dentonprc.org http://twiceasniceresale.com
What’s your fondest memory of Judy?
What’s a lesson you learned from Judy?
Share a story where Judy's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Judy you’ll never forget.
How did Judy make you smile?
