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BILLS -- Judy C. Bills, age 64, died peacefully at home in Albuquerque, NM, the morning of August 14, 2006, after a seven-year battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She was a woman of keen intelligence and boundless curiosity. She will also be remembered for her earnest devotion to her work, her delightful laugh, her unflinching honesty, and her respect for nature in all its forms, from roadside native plants to household spiders to the Mexican gray wolf. Judy Claire Haddon was born in Houston, TX, on January 6, 1942, the only child of Finney Marvin and Evelyn Clara (Stenzel) Haddon. She attended Lutheran and public schools in Houston and received a B.A. degree in German from Rice University in 1963. She then entered the doctoral program in Linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin. There she married fellow student Garland Bills on January 5, 1968, and they moved to Albuquerque the following year. After trying her hand at teaching linguistics to graduate students at the University of New Mexico that year, Judy decided to set aside her studies. Two years later she gave birth to their only child, Bonnie. After her daughter began school, Judy started to take classes in computer science part-time at UNM, receiving the B.S. degree in 1984 and subsequently taking several graduate courses. She enjoyed a successful and satisfying career as a computer programmer, employed the last eleven years with Goodrich Corporation Space Flight Systems. Judy was preceded in death by her father. She is survived by her mother of Bellville, TX; her husband of Albuquerque; and her daughter, Bonnie Bills, son-in-law, Charles Hornberger, and granddaughter, Beatrix Hornberger, all of Los Angeles, CA. Her body has been donated to the UNM School of Medicine for medical research and teaching. There will be no Memorial Service. Friends are welcome to visit the family home any time between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Saturday, August 19, 2006.
        Published on: Thu August 17, 2006