Obituary of Judith Ann Galbreath Ener

Judith Ann Galbreath Ener, 77, of Jacksonville, FL, Passed away peacefully at Indian River Center Nursing home in Brevard County on Friday, March 5, 2021. She had most recently resided at Sunrise Assisted Living in Jacksonville, where she enjoyed music activities, bingo and crafts.

Judith was born and raised in Armstrong County, PA in the tiny borough of Freeport. She was the daughter of a farmer and a special education teacher. She grew up on a farm with lots of stories and love, and lots of memories of the one room school house, walking to school in the snow, and large gatherings with all the extended relatives. She was the second eldest of four.  She is pre-deceased by her older brother James and survived by her sisters Sara and Josie.

Judith is pre-decreased by her husband of 40 years, Emin Nur Ener and her youngest son, Kerim Kaplan Ener. She is survived by her eldest son Erol Erim Ener of Jacksonville, FL, her daughter, Emine Ener Comer and husband Matthew of Grant, FL. She has four grandchildren: Deziree, Evan, Kaiden and Nolan.  Many other extended family members survive her as well, here and abroad.

Never imagining she would marry anyone from abroad, Judith met her husband while attending graduate school. They married shortly thereafter in Turkey, where she spent 7 years and learned fluent Turkish.  They moved back to the US in 1980, to New York, of course, to start life anew. Then they found a little piece of Florida for sale in 1982 and never left. Judith went on to stay, raise a family of 3 and live in Jacksonville for 37 years.

She spent part of her career as a social worker and retired early to be a stay-at- home parent. She also assisted with running the family business.  She was the person who kept all the working parts moving behind the scenes and made sure everything got accomplished as it should.

In her free time, she loved reading a good novel or magazine, and it was not uncommon to find her on the sofa with a newspaper and a cat right beside her. She also loved working outside in her yard and took pride in having the loveliest Camelia bushes and Azaleas on the block. She was also a very good cook, and always had something prepared for 10 people.

Judith was a fighter in many ways and was no stranger to medical problems. She was a breast cancer survivor of more than 15 years, which, unfortunately had taken a hefty toll on her heart and her body. She had also been through multiple surgical procedures and suffered several small TIAs which made it difficult for her to care for herself in her last years. But she persevered and had more courage than one can imagine.

We know she is now at peace and in the loving arms of our father, and we rejoice that she is no longer in pain, though she will be missed and always loved.

A memorial service in her honor will be held Saturday, March 27th from 3-4pm at Coral Ridge Baptist Church at 2967 Huffman Boulevard Jacksonville, FL 32246. In lieu of flowers donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, the public library or any other organization that supports elder and disability services.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Judith Ann Galbreath Ener, please visit Tribute Store