Judith Hench, 97, most recently of Sudbury

Judith A. (Antell) Hench, age 97, most recently of Sudbury, MA, formerly of Canton, MA, Southbury, CT, and Jericho, NY, passed away peacefully on April 16, 2024.   She was the daughter of Hyman and Rose (Sakofsky) Antell.

Judy was the beloved wife of the late Melvin Hench.  Loving mother of Linda Hench-Gentile and her husband Carmine Gentile, and Merrill Walsh and her late husband Richard Walsh.  Adored grandmother of Sara Garrity-Gentile and her husband Brian Garrity, Andrew Gentile and his wife Rachel Senker, Caitlin Walsh and Megan Walsh and her fiancé Anthony Figalora.  Cherished great-grandmother to Luca Garrity-Gentile, Lily Garrity-Gentile and Julian Gentile.  Also survived by her nephews, nieces and many cousins.

Judy was raised in the Bronx with her late brother and sister, Stanley Antell of California and Claire Antell of the Bronx, NY.  She was a graduate of Hunter College. After working in an office for a few years, she met and married the love of her life, Mel “The Bear” Hench, an audio engineer at NBC in New York City.

Judy and Mel initially lived a couple of blocks from Yankee Stadium raising their two daughters, Linda and Merrill.  They lived there for more than seven years until they purchased a home in Jericho on Long Island.  In retirement Judy and Mel moved to Heritage Village in Southbury, CT, where they made many friends and Judy served as president of their condominium association. In 2016, Judy moved to the Orchard Cove retirement community in Canton, MA, and finally to Sudbury last year.

Judy loved her children and grandchildren and had a special fondness for babies and toddlers displayed whenever and wherever she met one. She retained her keen sense of humor despite experiencing dementia and failing health this last year.

Services are being held in New York, where Judy will be buried next to her husband who passed away in 1995.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Judy’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.

Arrangements by the McCarthy, McKinney & Lawler Funeral Home of Framingham. For messages of condolence, kindly visit www.mccarthyfh.com