Judith Weil passed away on September 10, 2025. Judy was devoted to her husband of 64 years, Herbert (Herb) Weil, her son, Fred, and his wife Kayo, her daughter, Leslie, and her husband Bill, and four grandchildren, Rio, Kento, Liam, and Charlotte.
Judy, born in 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio, was an only child and spent much of her childhood on a small farm where she had two horses, Star and Calico. She learned early on to be self-reliant and was fiercely independent. Judy commuted to Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati and spent many summers with her family in Michigan.
She then went to Middlebury College in Vermont where she earned a B.A in History in 1960. The next fall she began a Ph.D in English at Stanford University where she was awarded a full scholarship.
Judy and Herb met and were married in 1961 while they were at Stanford and then they taught at universities in Connecticut, where children Fred and Leslie were born. She and Herb lived in a barn, a stone house, and then a wonderful home, perched on steeply forested hill, that they had designed together. The family moved to Winnipeg in 1978 for tenure track positions at the University of Manitoba. Judy and Herb were able to find one of the oldest homes in Winnipeg that was by the Assiniboine River. Judy had a rewarding and productive career as a professor of English. She was an exceptional teacher who prepared meticulously for her classes and she was attentive to the different levels of learning of her students. She published three books: Christopher Marlowe: Merlin’s Prophet, Service and Dependency in Shakespeare’s Plays, and The First Part of King Henry IV, which she co-authored with Herb.
Judy loved travel. In high school, she spent two summers in Yellowstone National Park and went on a long bike trip around New England. During her undergraduate years she spent a summer in Yorkshire, which was the beginning of her love of all things England. There was a sabbatical to Oxford in 1968-69 which led to research trips to Cambridge and biennial academic conferences in Stratford-on-Avon. Judy and Herb took their children on visits to see Herb’s family in New Orleans and to Judy’s mother’s summer home in Michigan. They spent many summers in France and had memorable trips to places such as Russia, Israel, Japan, China, and Australia. Through their joint careers and numerous travels, Judy and Herb made many stimulating friends around the world whose company and conversation enriched their lives.
After retiring, Judy and Herb moved to Victoria in 2003. They were warmly welcomed and Judy was grateful to make good friends in their new home. Judy enjoyed volunteering at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, performances of the Pacific Opera of Victoria, gardening, hiking, and participating in book clubs. Throughout her life, Judy was an avid reader who showed remarkable intelligence and insight about characters, ideas, and language. Although Judy was very quiet and modest, she made a profound impact on the lives of students, colleagues, friends and family. She was well-loved and will be dearly missed.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Sierra Club BC or to the Weil Fellowship at the English Department of the University of Manitoba. There will be a celebration of life on September 24th , 2025. Please RSVP at rememberingjudy@hotmail.com by September 17th if you can attend.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Alan and Felicity Somerset
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Catherine Waters To all the Weil family,
I send my heartfelt sympathy to Herb and their children and grandchildren for the loss of Judy. Herb and Judy were such kind, intelligent and fun friends for my parents, Donovan and Maryla Waters, in Victoria. They shared many interests in opera and literature, mostly a shared love of Shakespeare! Judy seemed to be a rock of love and caring in the Weil home, and her quiet and unassuming style belied the super intelligent mind behind it. Herb and Judy together were such a vital and lively couple, and became good and kind friends to all our family. I hope the many happy memories that are so evident in the obituary give you lots of comfort as you mourn your loss.
With warmest sympathy, Catherine, Alex and Claire
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Jeannine McDonald Love, courage and strength to you
and your family Leslie on the loss of your dear sweet mom. Your mother’s gentle quiet strength can be seen in every one of you. Her sense of peace and unwavering support was evident whenever you spoke of her. Her enthusiasm for life and deep interest in all of your lives helped create a secure and loving family environment of belonging felt by everyone who knew her through you. All our deepest love.
Catherine, Jeannine, Rowan and Jack
Felicity and I were deeply saddened to hear news of the death of Judy Weil, and we wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Herb and his family. Ours was a friendship borne of Shakespeare and nurtured by Shakespeare during innumerable get-togethers at annual conferences in Canada, the States and Britain. I cannot express the joy, at the conferences, of being blessed, once again, by the company and fellowship of these lovely and lively people, Judith and Herb Weil.