Judith Ashby Steed
Judith Ashby Steed (November 17, 1942 – January 11, 2026) was born in Churchville, Virginia. She grew up competing against the boys in sports, 4-H Club, and car racing, besting the boys at all of them before dancing with them at sock hops. She proudly maintained her beloved 1960 TR3A Triumph for the rest of her life. She started college at just 16, earned her degree from Longwood University and became a teacher in Virginia. She moved to Charlotte, N.C. in 1977 with her husband and two children and made Charlotte her home for the rest of her life. She earned her master’s degree from Winthrop University as a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and continued to serve as an educator in many roles, including at Winthrop, as a school volunteer and fundraiser, member of the Juvenile Services Board, candidate for school board, and operator of a tutoring business.
Judy’s accomplishments as a student and educator do not begin to tell the story of this amazing woman’s 83 years. She was a civic leader, great friend and neighbor, successful business owner, devoted mother, and loving grandmother. In 2022, she celebrated 50 years of service as the longest serving election official in Mecklenburg County history, running a polling location for 50 years without missing an election. She made enduring friendships as a decades-long member of the Mecklenburg Evening Republican Women’s Club. She operated successful clothing and antique businesses for years. When she finally “retired”, Judy got some “rest” by kicking off a decade-long career as a N.C. state travel counselor, where she formed enduring friendships with fellow state employees and travelers.
Judy was a force of nature, known for wide-ranging talents, passions, and fun for her entire life. She was a problem-solver who could fix anything, under the hood or around the house. An avid traveler, she explored the world, driving across the nation on countless road trips and roaming Europe by plane, ship, and car. She was a great gardener who would humbly bemoan the state of her decades-old plants and a humbly great cook as well. One of the great joys of her life was being a “Nana” to her granddaughter Avery, with whom she loved baking, gardening, and driving her John Deere.
More than anything, Judy was an extraordinary Mom to her two sons – “my boys”. She is survived by those proud sons, William J. Steed III and Brandon Ashby Steed, daughter-in-law Kimberly Ryneska, granddaughter Avery Steed, siblings Jane Bagley, Forrest Turner Ashby, Christopher Ashby, and “daughter” in spirit if not blood, Amy Young. She was preceded in death by her parents Woodrow Wilson (“Woody”) and Geraldine Beckwith (“Becky”) Ashby and brothers Thomas Ashby and W.W. (“Oscar”) Ashby, Jr.
A memorial service will be held at Providence Baptist Church Sanctuary, 4921 Randolph Rd, Charlotte, N.C., on January 30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.
A graveside service will be held at Green Hill Cemetery, Green Hill Lane, Churchville, Virginia, on February 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, her sons ask that donations in her memory be made to the Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual bicycle race she completed to raise money to fight breast cancer: https://donate.pmc.org.
Bear Funeral Home is serving the family. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at bearfuneralhome.com.
