People have the capability to light up a room when you meet them and make their presence known. That was Sr. Judy Mouch for Detroit Mercy, who died on Dec. 14, 2024, at 77 years old.
When she arrived here on campus, she lit up the classrooms of Detroit Mercy and made the campus radiate from the inside out. A petite, yet exuberant woman, she was passionate about community health and fostered many interpersonal relationships within the community and abroad.
Mouch belonged to the Gesu Catholic Church across from campus. Dr. Janet Baiardi has known Mouch for about 40 years.
She said, “Sr. Judy was a feisty go-getter who was passionate about student success.”
Others echoed that sentiment.
Fr. Jeff Dorr said, “I could tell Sr. Judy wasn’t afraid to push a little when it came to getting things done.”
As a Sister of Mercy, Mouch was very caring. She was also a part of the interview process for Dean Ahmed Radwan, when he was hired to lead the College of Health Professions..
“She was always thinking of everyone, she was very sincere,” Radwan said. “She was a living example of a Sister of Mercy, embodying the values of support for women and children in need.”
Reflecting back on his time with Mouch, Radwan thought of his fondest memory of him and Mouch, visiting Cabrini Clinic. Mouch was a go-getter within the community. She was a very determined spirit who insisted on continuing the volunteer nursing trips to Cabrini Clinic.
Many that knew Mouch knew that she wanted to develop a personal, intimate connection. Mouch was a being who cared about each individual, what they were accomplishing, and how they were doing mentally and physically.
Mouch touched the hearts and spirits of many of the faculty in the College of Health Professions; her office space is dedicated to her and a candle is lit to keep her spirit alive.
Sr. Judy was passionate about community health. Her Community Health course consisted of taking students to the clinic to help those in the community.
Mouch touched generations of lives at Detroit Mercy. She was professor to Riya Panicker’s (’27) mother and Riya saw the impact that Mouch had on the Detroit Mercy community as well, even though she didn’t have her as a professor during her time at UDM.
Dr. Andrea Kwasky met Mouch 16 years ago through a colleague from Ireland. Kwasky proposed a mission trip to Ireland to Mouch to walk in the steps of Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy. Mouch has made a huge, international impact not only with Sisters of Mercy in Detroit, but also Sisters of Mercy in Ireland as well.
One of Kwasky’s fondest memories of Mouch is when she went on the Viking Splash Tour with herin Ireland. Kwasky recalled fondly as she scrolled through pictures
“Mouch had this very big, joyful hearty laugh,” Kwasky said. “That’s something I remember about her.”