Judy Garbera, beloved mother, educator, researcher and mentor to many, passed away April 25, 2025.
She was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1935 to Sandor Garbera, district attorney, and Judit Fazekas Garbera, teacher and mother of four, Judy, Sandor, Istvan and Peter. The family survived World War II, and Russian occupation.
When the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 broke out, she was a university student majoring in biology. A few weeks later, when the Russian troops crushed the young republic, Judy escaped with her brother Sandor to Austria. The following year, they emigrated to the United States. Judy was granted a scholarship from Smith College, Massachusetts, where she received her B.S. in Biology. The following year she married Dr. Victor Maderspach and they settled in Blacksburg, VA.
For the next 40 years she worked at Virginia Tech Veterinary Science as a microbiologist researcher. After her retirement, she opened Art Pannonia Gallery, which became a beacon for art lovers in the New River Valley.
Judy will be sadly missed by her sons, Tony and Andy (Stella); her brothers Istvan and Peter; and countless friends, especially Mike, Pinar, and Diane. She is proceeded in death by her parents, and brother Sandor Garbera.
A memorial mass will be held Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Blacksburg.
