Judith A. "Judi" Brierley, 66, of Raymond, NH, formerly of Saugus, MA, died peacefully in hospice care in Exeter, NH on Monday, February 13, 2012 of respiratory failure after a long battle with COPD. Judi was born in Washington DC on August 2, 1945. Beloved daughter of the late Ted and Edith (Oberlander) Brierley Sr. Cherished mother of Bryan M. Brierley of Augusta, ME. Adored grandmother of her "Buckaroo" Bryan M. Brierley, Jr of Beverly MA and Bryson L. Brierley of Augusta, ME. Beloved "big sister" of Ted Brierley, jr of Burlington, MA and treasured "auntie granny" of nephew Theo T. Brierley of Burlington, MA. Judi also leaves her devoted long haired Chihuahua "Sigmund", her orange tabby cat "Sunny" and her Albino King Snake "Puff".

Following her wishes, Judi was cremated at the Cremation Society of New Hampshire in Manchester on Wednesday, February 15. A portion of Judi's ashes will be scattered to rest with nature and the remainder will be kept by the family. A Memorial Gathering to celebrate Judi's life will be held in the spring. Details of the time and place will be added to this obituary at www.csnh.com as soon as they are available.

Judi loved her family, her friends, her animal friends, nature, the beach and music. While still able, she enjoyed her cottage at Hedding Camp Meeting Grounds in Epping, NH with her many friends and family there. Judi also loved words and used them to capture mental images of her insights. With a keen eye and a sensitive heart, Judi wrote poetry about the important things in her life and the people she loved.

Judi was a devoted Elvis Presley fan from the screaming beginning and held dear the memory of her train trip adventure to Memphis when she experienced the land of Elvis and visited his home at Graceland. Judi was one of the young rockers in the crowd at the Alan Freed Rock 'N' Roll Show at the Boston Arena in 1958 (the first and last rock concert in Boston for several years because they were banned after that night). She experienced the joyous hysteria of seeing and hearing Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Judi was a Folkie too and frequented Club 47/Passim's in Cambridge when artists including Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger and Jackie Washington were becoming stars.

A graduate of Saugus High School and the John Robert Powers School in Boston, Judi later attended North Shore Community College in Lynn majoring in Psychology. She worked hard and utilized her many talents at a variety of jobs as a single mother making ends meet. She was a waitress at the Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus, a private function service coordinator at the Somerset Club in Boston, the Office Manager at the Beacon Hill Law Firm of Clement, Cotter & Spencer, the Administrative Assistant to the Plant Manager at RESCO Refuse to Energy in Saugus, a counselor in training for substance abuse at Salem Hospital and a Client Services Coordinator at the Center for Addictive Behavior (CAB) in Danvers, MA. To complete the circle of music in her life Judi sold tickets to nostalgic oldies concerts by famous acts from the Fifties and Sixties to benefit the Raymond, NH Fire Dept.

Judi was a sweet compassionate friend to those who knew her. Moving from soft motherly caring to hard street wise wit and back again with ease and grace. She saw the best in people and wanted the best for them in their life, helping many with a meal and a couch to sleep on when they were down. Likewise, Judi was blessed to have childhood friends who maintained contact with her for over 60 years and she was forever thankful for her caring neighbors and the home care professionals who visited her daily, giving her the freedom to live on as she wished, at home with her pets.

Judi struggled with alcoholism most of her adult life and wanted this fact mentioned as one of the causes of her death. This was a heartfelt and unselfish gesture on her part. Several insidious ailments including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and emphysema worked together to strike Judi's body down and send it into old age while her heart and mind remained young. But having seen other friends and family die with no mention of their addictions, Judi wanted a transparency given to her life to make a core problem known and bring it to the light of day so others might learn and benefit from her story.

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."
Buddha

Judi was in life and is, in death, a tender loving soul. In spite of her debilitating condition and pain, she remained cheerful and positive and planned stubbornly to "live to be 90". A glistening diamond with many facets, from her love of traditional Christian gospel songs sung by Elvis to the eternal teachings of Buddha, Judi's life and love shines on.

Donations in memory of Judi may be made to:

Northeast Behavioral Health
c/o Kevin Norton, President & CEO
Zero Centennial Drive
Peabody, MA 01960

For more information about this wonderful organization please visit www.nebhealth.org