Judith "Judy" Glenn Tyler Pendergrass

Judith “Judy” Glenn Tyler Pendergrass

January 2, 1944 – May 5, 2025

Some lives are marked not just by years, but by stories of courage, creativity, and love. Judith “Judy” Glenn Tyler Pendergrass lived such a life—a quiet fighter, a passionate artist, a devoted wife and mother whose presence left an indelible mark on all who knew her.

Family will receive friends from 2-3:00 PM, Sunday, May 11, 2025 at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home, 2800 Paramount. Memorial service will be at 2:00 PM, Monday, May 12, 2025 at Paramount Baptist Church Building A Worship Center. Burial will be private in Memorial Park Cemetery. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors.

Born in Amarillo, Texas, on January 2, 1944, Judy was the daughter of Willie (Billie) Joe and Prebble Lotretia Tyler, and younger sister to Sharon. At the age of seven, Judy was struck with bulbar polio, which left her without the ability to lift her head or use her arms for two years. With incredible determination—and the ingenuity of a loving father who fashioned pulleys to help her regain movement—she overcame what could have been a lifelong disability.

Her perseverance led her to academic and musical excellence. Judy graduated from Tascosa High School and went on to earn both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Eastern New Mexico University. During her college years, she was an active member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and served as chapter president. Known affectionately to her sisters as “Themis,” Judy brought warmth, wisdom, and steady leadership to her sorority—traits she carried with her throughout her life. At 21, she was also selected to join a USO tour, performing for troops in Japan—an unforgettable chapter that combined her passion for music with her patriotic heart.

She met Jim Pendergrass while teaching in Amarillo, and they married in 1968, beginning a journey that spanned 46 years until his passing in 2014. They moved across Texas and Louisiana, welcomed two sons—Tyler and Timothy—and eventually settled in Amarillo, where they built a life filled with music, art, and faith.

Judy’s teaching career included music, math, science and art. She inspired students in the classroom and at church, where she played piano and organ at Paramount Baptist Church from 1975 to 2024. Whether guiding students through a watercolor project or leading worship with her hands on the keys, a verse in her heart, or a prayer on her lips, Judy poured her soul into the lives of others.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Jim, her sister Sharon, and her parents. She is survived by her sons Ty and Tim; their wives, Dina and Rebecca as well as her grandchildren: Kenna, Bentley, Joshua, Madeline, David, and Luke.