Judith A. Lahey

LAHEY, Judith Agnes, 67 of East Haddam, died unexpectedly at her home, which she shared with her partner of 30 years, Judy E. Pflum, on May 12, 2011. Judith was born in Boston, the daughter of the late Dr. William J. Lahey and Phyllis Donlon Lahey and grew up in West Hartford with her five younger siblings. In 1975, she was named to the first Freedom of Information Commission for the State of Connecticut by Governor Ella Grasso and was appointed the Commission's Chair in 1979. She was labeled a "conservative" by the Hartford Courant due to a decision in which she ruled that the public's right to know was not served by the release of information about public employees which she deemed unrelated to their jobs: "I didn't think that the public could do anything with that information to further their right to self-government, which was the purpose of the law." It was not a label she embraced in other aspects of her life. Judith graduated from The Chaffee School in 1961 and was very much looking forward to her 50th reunion in June. After graduating from Manhattanville College in 1965, she earned her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and later a Master's degree in Library Science at Southern Connecticut State University to further her career at the UCONN law library. Judith served briefly as Dean of the Wethersfield Law School, which is today the Quinnipiac University School of Law. She was required to give up her position on the Freedom of Information Commission when she was hired by the Judicial Branch of state government. She was employed by the Commission on Office Legal Publications, writing head notes for state Supreme and Appellate Court decisions published by The Connecticut Law Journal, a job she loved up until her retirement, Between those careers, she worked as a 'country lawyer' in Lebanon, CT, where she and her partner raised miniature horses, pigs, and goats on their small farm. It was during those years that Judith's already strong love for animals grew to rival that of her love for the law. Her first dog was named Justice. Her adventurous spirit was reflected in her airplane pilot's license, as a sailor, and in her later love for travel. She was an avid Red Sox fan, ardent supporter of UCONN women's basketball, and a political junkie. She and J.P. traded their horses for a view of the Connecticut River when they moved to East Haddam, splitting their time between homes in East Haddam and Jekyll Island, GA. Judith is survived by her partner, her siblings, Sara M. Lahey, Margaret A. Lahey, and Michael J. Lahey, as well as her beloved Aunt Beverly Kelleher, her Kelleher cousins, and her nieces and nephew. We will all miss her vitality, generosity and kindness. She was preceded in death by her brothers William F.Lahey, Paul J. Lahey, William's wife Kathe, and her aunt Margaret M. Lahey. Calling hours will be held at Molloy Funeral Home in West Hartford on Wednesday, May 18th from 4 -7:00pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 359 Spring Hill Road, Monroe, CT 06468 or to The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT, Class of 1961 fund.

Judith A. Lahey

November 20, 1943 - May 12, 2011