Judith Anna Huber-Cogswell, 76

Judith "Judy" Anna Huber-Cogswell, 76, passed away on Oct. 14, 2023. Her loving husband Jerry was holding her hand. She was the daughter of Alfred Emanuel Descutner and Velma Howell Russell.

Her childhood in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was difficult in poverty in coal-mining country. The skinny child was called "shrimp boat," by her peers. She and her older sister Linda would gather ribbons at the local cemetery from discarded flowers to turn into doll clothes.

In 1984, she met Jerry Cogswell at the Hospital Hill Half Marathon in Kansas City. A week later, Jerry took her to the Tulsa ballet. He introduced her to his friend, the Prima Ballerina. Well, who wouldn’t be impressed? She saw the demo.

In 1985 they moved to Hawaii. Judy was one of the fastest runners in Hawaii. In November, 1986, she finished the Honolulu Marathon in a field of 20 thousand runners as the ninth overall woman in 2:58. In April, 1987, she set a womens’ course record of 2:59 in the Maui Marathon, some of it over uneven sugar cane fields.

Judy and Jerry married in 1987. The novel running wedding made the evening TV news. They enjoyed 22 years of running in Hawaii together. Travels to Japan and London were side trips. They shared a common identity as vegetarians and animal rights advocates.

Her greatest joy in life was her great danes. She had eleven of them over the years. Most of them were rescues.

When she retired in Montana in 2006, she joined quilters in Eureka and Kalispell. Her Etsy store reviews for the quality of her mini-quilts were gratifying.

She is survived by two sons, John Huber and Michael Huber; and her siblings, Carol Cowden, Linda Tilton and Harry Descutner.

No services are planned. Memorials may be given to The Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter in Eureka, Montana.