Judith D. Feder ’78

Judy died April 23, 2010, after an eight-year battle with metastatic breast cancer.  

Following her acceptance at Princeton, she dropped out of White Plains (N.Y.) High School to work on a kibbutz in Israel. Fortunately for us, Princeton took Judy sans diploma. Many remember her as a singer in the Chapel Choir, Musica Alta, and solo recitals. She graduated summa cum laude in history and European cultural studies and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  

Judy managed the New York office of the PR firm for Brodeur Worldwide. She continued to perform Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and Jacques Brel songs well into her illness, and was an active member of her synagogue. A loyal Tiger, she served as secretary of the Class of ’78 Foundation and maintained many close Princeton friendships.  

Judy’s long struggle led her to conceive “Patient Wisdom,” an online networking model that taps into patient/caregiver communities to expand knowledge and improve lives. Her article, “Judy Feder: Narrative of a Breast Cancer e-Patient,” was published posthumously in the Journal of Participatory Medicine.  

The class sends deepest sympathy to Judy’s husband, Tapani Talo; sons Eliel and Eero; her parents, Marjorie and Robert Feder; and her siblings Susan ’76, Ben, Jessica, and Abby.