Judith Oleson Obituary
Judith Oleson, passed away on June 10, 2023 from leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She is preceded in death by her mother Priscilla W. Oleson and father A. William.
Oleson. She leaves behind her husband, Mark Wilczek, daughter Silvia Cannon, son -in-law Ethan Cannon, and granddaughter Luna, of Barrington RI, and daughter Gabriela Holm of Minneapolis, MN; two siblings and their spouses, Karen and Richard Langlais and Gary and Trish Oleson; several nieces and nephews, as well as five stepchildren; Louis Canale, Aaron Canale, Lisa Canale, Adam Wilczek, and Alex Wilczek, their spouses and seven step grandchildren.
Although family relationships were primary for Judith, she valued community with her church, local organizations and international connections. She served on the board of the Lanesville Community Center, St Paul Lutheran Church Council and co-chaired the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage Program Committee. She was a photography member of the Rockport Art Association, and utilized photography as a spiritual, reflective process. She loved to swim in Plum Cove, walk Halibut Point with her dog Lucy, and bike the back roads of Cape Ann. She was an active member of Gloucester Gig Rowers for over 10 years.
Judith was an advocate for justice and peace in the organizations she served, as well as the larger community. She was a skilled facilitator in both conflict transformation and social change initiatives. She had a unique ability to "speak the truth without blame or judgement" and was known for her wise, calm and loving presence. She traveled extensively to learn from diverse communities and advocate for those experiencing collective harm.
Judith received a Doctorate in Ministry from Episcopal Divinity School, a Masters in Public Administration from The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and an MSW from the University of Minnesota.
In June 2022 Judith retired as the Director of the Tom Porter Program for Religion and Conflict Transformation at Boston University where she directed the program and taught courses. Previously Judith co-founded and coordinated an interdisciplinary minor in Peace and Conflict Studies at Gordon College, where she taught in their Sociology/Social Work Department for ten years. Judith also developed a course in post-conflict social reconstruction that she taught often with colleagues at the European Center for the Study of War and Peace in Croatia.
Before coming to academia, Judith served for thirty years as a social worker and program administrator in Minnesota. During her last eight years there she served as the Executive Director of a Family Services Collaborative where she facilitated a partnership between city, county and tribal systems to decentralize and democratize support services with families.
Judith was born in Rochester, NY, raised in Hamilton, MA, but lived half of her adult life in Duluth, Minnesota, and the other half in Rockport and Gloucester, MA. She loved the north woods and in her early years worked as both a canoe guide and camp leader in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (MN). With others, she organized a women's spirituality group that met for 30 years, to honor relationship to the Earth. In the later part of her life, she returned to Cape Ann where she gathered other women's circles for political and spiritual support, connected with her ancestral roots and celebrated the beauty of rock and sea.
There are no visiting hours and her burial is being held privately. A Celebration of Life and service will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at 11 a.m. in Asbury Grove, 15 Lee Park, So. Hamilton, MA 01982. Family and friends are cordially invited. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Judith's name can be sent to: Tom Porter Program on Religion and Conflict Transformation (bu.edu) 745 Commonwealth Ave., Rm 111B, Boston, MA. Arrangements are by the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington St. Gloucester, MA.
