Judith Billington Stallkamp, age 81, of Greenville, DE died Saturday, December 4, 2021.
Judy was born in New Haven, CT to the late Stephen and Marjorie Billington. She grew up in Short Hills, NJ and attended Wells College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in biology, but never passed on an opportunity to continue learning throughout her life. She met her late husband James H Stallkamp while in college and they married in September 1962. She worked for Rockefeller Institute as an editor during their brief time in NYC before moving overseas. She lived in London where she perfected her culinary skills at Le Cordon Blue and Tokyo where she mastered Bonsai and Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. After 10 years abroad, Jim and Judy returned to the US and moved to CT where they welcomed their 2 daughters Susanne and Katherine. In 1985 the family relocated to Delaware where Judy dedicated her time to volunteer work and her family. In addition to the time spent volunteering at the Tatnall school library, she returned to her love of gardening through volunteer work with the Delaware Nature Society. As her daughters grew older, she continued to challenge herself and went back to school to receive her Master’s certificate in Horticulture from the Barnes Foundation. She put this to work, focusing on the education about the importance and preservation of native plants along the piedmont through her continues work on the Native Plant Sale for the Delaware Nature Society and as a Docent at Mount Cuba where she gave garden tours for many years. Whether at home, at work or around town, Judy could always be found in the garden.
Judy is survived by daughters Susanne Russotto and her husband Josh Russotto and Katherine Santiago and her husband Xavier Santiago; grandsons James and George Santiago; and sister Marjorie Billington.
All services will be private.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in Judy’s name to The Delaware Nature Society. https://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/get-involved/donate/
