Judith Ann Ware

Judith-Ann Brooks was born on June 25, 1954 in Washington, DC, to Peter and Edith Brooks. She lived most of her life in the city of her birth serving God, her community and loving her family. She passed away peacefully on March 23, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family. She was 71 years old.

If you knew Judy you knew someone who could do anything she set her mind to do. She was equal parts grace and perseverance.Most of the time it wasn’t for her own gain but for others.
She always found a way even when it was difficult. She was not defined by a single role or a single achievement, but by the cumulative force of a life devoted to others.

Judy was a woman of deep and abiding faith. She believed in God and in the power of prayer, and she lived that belief openly and joyfully. For years, Judith sang in church choirs and performed gospel music alongside her late daughter Donna and friends in their group Perfect Harmony. Music filled the home she made for her children and grandchildren. Gospel remained the soundtrack of her life until the very end.

Her commitment to community was always apparent. In 2005, as president of a tenants’ association in Columbia Heights, Judith helped 36 families who were facing eviction from their home. Covered by The Washington Post, their victory secured affordable housing for those families for the next 20 years.

She also helped establish a PTA at her children’s elementary school, connecting parents with jobs as teacher’s aides and organizing fundraisers. She helped start a summer youth program at her local church. Judith was always helping in one way or another. She did these things not for recognition but because she saw a need and answered the call to service.

Her professional life reflected that same devotion to public service. Among the many jobs she held in her life, notably she served for years as a Crossing Guard with the Metropolitan Police Department, keeping children safe on their way to and from school. She later worked as an Administrative Assistant and Receptionist at the Seabury Senior Program and the DC Department of Employment Services, welcoming and serving her neighbors every day. In every role she held, she brought the same warmth, the same reliability, and the same genuine care for the people in front of her.

At home, Judy was the undeniable heart of her family. She was the pillar, the connector, the one who always knewhow everyone was doing because she made it her business to
know. She was a woman of many talents and skills. She loved cooking and was always asked to make at least one dish for Thanksgiving or a big family gathering. She enjoyed reading,
journaling, keeping up with current events. She had a green thumb and tended her plants with the same care she gave everything in her life. She loved traveling with her sisters on cruises or across the country, and spending time with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

She was the kind of mother who worked multiple jobs and still found time to play, to teach, and to take her children out to experience the world. She was previously married to Rudolph Ware Jr., with whom she had her two sons.

She is survived by her sons Victor Ware (Ketina) and Michael Ware (Gabby); her grandchildren Yasmine Brooks, Luther Edwards Jr., Jhared Brooks, Michael Ware Jr., and Nyla Ware; her great-grandchildren Taj Brooks, McKenzie Brooks, and Matthew Brooks; her siblings Sharon Evans (Rickie), Peter Brooks, Timothy Brooks (Tracy), Diane Ford (Mike), Esther Galloway Booker (Barry), and John Brooks. She is also survived by nieces, nephews, a host of cousins and a vast and loving community whose lives she touched in ways that will not soon be forgotten.

She was preceded in death by her parents Peter and Edith Brooks, her daughter Donna Brooks, her sister Frances Brooks and brothers Arthur Brooks and Samuel Brooks.

Judith did not merely pass through this world. She touched and improved the lives of everyone fortunate to know her. Her love, her faith, her voice, and her genuine belief in people will
continue through everyone she raised and everyone she inspired. She is not gone. She lives on in our hearts, memories, actions and in her new heavenly home.

“My children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – to be able to experience the difference with each one in their growththrough their experiences, being able to hear how much
influence I had in their growth, through watching me, how I chose to show them love, compassion, endurance through hard work even through many adversities, knowing their value... My trust in my connection with God is so important because he always shows great grace and mercy in my life.”

– Judith Ware, in her own words on the pride of her life.

A Memorial Service will be held on April 11, 2026, with a Visitation at 12:30 PM followed by the Service at 1:00 PM, at:

Boston St. Fort Funeral and Cremation Services
5801 Cleveland Avenue
Riverdale, MD 20737

Family and friends are invited to gather in remembrance and celebration of her life.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Boston St. Fort Funeral and Cremation Services.

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