A descendant of the Mayflower’s John Alden, Priscilla Mullins, and Stephen Hopkins, Judith Turner Parmelee of Eastham died on May 8, 2024. A nurse and medical researcher, she was 86.

Judy was born on June 21, 1937 in Middletown, Conn., the daughter of Eleanor Hastings Turner and Benjamin Turner. She met her future husband, Jim Parmelee, at Woodrow Wilson High School, from which she graduated in 1955.

Judy received her R.N. in 1958 after three years at Middlesex Memorial Hospital’s School of Nursing. She worked primarily at facilities in Willimantic and Mansfield.

Judy worked as a nurse in Kansas City, Mo. while Jim served in the Air Force there. In 1962, they moved to Mansfield, Conn.; Judy continued her career while rearing three children.

She earned a B.A. in biology at Eastern Connecticut State University in 1977, winning several awards for academic achievement. Judy went on to study physiology at the University of Connecticut, receiving her Ph.D. in 1983.

She did research at the U.S. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland for three years, commuting to Connecticut on weekends. In later years she worked at Brown University Medical School and taught nursing students at Manchester Community College.

She retired in 2002 and moved with Jim to Eastham, where they transformed their summer home into a year-round residence surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Judy was an active volunteer for Mass Audubon, the Friends of the National Seashore, the Friends of the Eastham Library, the Pan Mass Challenge, the Nauset Light Preservation Society, and, most dear to her heart, Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod.

Judy and Jim loved to travel and learn about the nature and culture of the Galapagos, Alaska, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, the Greek Isles, Italy, Britain, France, the islands of the Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada, as well as the U.S.

Judy loved going to concerts and plays, and she loved art, particularly the Impressionist painters. She was thrilled to visit Claude Monet’s home in Giverny, France.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years, James D. Parmelee of Eastham; her children, Lauren Parmelee of Newport, R.I., Karin Parmelee of Eastham, and David Parmelee and wife Nancy Emerson of Manchester-by-the-Sea; her granddaughter, Lucy Parmelee; her sisters, Jane Turner of Cromwell, Conn., Elizabeth Turner Czajka of Florida, and Susan Berry of Kentucky; and many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her sister Nancy Turner Bowers.

A celebration of Judy’s life is being planned. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod.

For online condolences, visit nickersonfunerals.com.