On Monday, February 3, 2025, Judith Ann Litherland passed away peacefully at Allure of the Quad Cities, Moline, with her loving family by her side.  Funeral services will be at 11 am on Monday, February 10, 2025, at Two Rivers United Methodist Church, Rock Island. Visitation will be from 10-11 am Monday, February 10, 2025, at the church. The burial will take place at the Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island. A luncheon at Two Rivers will follow the burial.  In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to one of the organizations that Judith was closely involved with during her life: Two Rivers United Methodist Church, PEO, the American Guild of Organists, or the Alzheimer's Association.  Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Rock Island, is assisting the family.

Judith Ann was born in Detroit on August 15, 1936, to ­­­­­­­­­­­­Alvin and Lois Huntington, and grew up in nearby Grosse Pointe. Music chose Judith from an early age, learning simple piano pieces from her father, an amateur jazz musician even before starting lessons at 4 years old.  By high school she was playing organ at churches in the Detroit area, giving annual recitals, and participating in every school musical activity imaginable.  She earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in special education from Michigan State University, which is where she met Bennett Litherland. They were married on August 4, 1962, moving to Rock Island in 1966 for Ben's career, where they were blessed with son Ted and daughters Kathryn and Sarah. Judith taught in the public schools in Michigan and Ohio before their children arrived and provided music education to children with disabilities at The Opportunity Center in Rock Island. The family moved to Urbandale, Iowa, in 1976, which is where she started her piano studio. She was an early adopter of the Suzuki piano method, which she incorporated into her pedagogy that reached hundreds of piano and organ students over the course of five decades of teaching.

Moving back to Rock Island in 1981, Judith served as organist at Two Rivers United Methodist until her retirement in 2019, adding duties as handbell choir director during her tenure. Judith was active in the American Guild of Organists and the National Guild of Piano Teachers, faithfully serving as a judge for guild auditions year after year. She also cherished her fellowship and support for women's education through the PEO sisterhood and contributed to the communities she lived in countless ways, with particular support for issues that touched her life personally, including mental health and disability awareness, suicide prevention, and the arts.

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Edward Litherland, Kathryn Litherland, and Sarah (David) Stegall; sister Linda Beccio; granddaughters, Mileah Mikula, Magdalena Miranda, Haleigh Stegall, and Lauryn Stegall; and great granddaughter, Leila Tolliver.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Ben, brother, Michael Huntington, and grandson, Simon Miranda.

It is difficult to capture a lifetime of love and service in a few short paragraphs. Judith's family, friends, colleagues, and students recall not only her impressive musicianship and commitment to the training and support of new generations of musicians, but her warmth and caring, always colored by a keen and witty sense of humor. She was devoted to God not only in her lifetime of public musical service to the Church but in a private practice of daily prayer, devotional reading, and reflection. In our hearts, she lives on, and we will forever honor the legacy of a remarkable woman who made a lasting impact on the community.

Online condolences, memories and expressions of sympathy may be left for the family at wheelanpressly.com