December 1, 1941 – January 7, 2025
Judith Ellen Komoroske (née Roach) passed away peacefully on January 7, 2025 surrounded by family. Born December 1, 1941 (Hartford, CT), she was raised in Brighton-by-the-Sea, Old Lyme, the second child of Robert Nicholas and Frances Prendergast Roach. She graduated from Williams Memorial Institute in New London and the Duchesne Residence School (NYC). Her first employment was Time Inc., Photography Division. The Manhattan location of Duchesne enabled her to pursue academics alongside her interest in dance, moving from ballet to modern, in the style of Isadora Duncan and Doris Humphrey. She took classes in the studios of José Limón, Alwin Nikolais, Martha Graham, and others.
On November 16, 1963, she married US Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer, Alex B. Komoroske, Jr. Following life in the Navy, the couple settled in Menlo Park, CA where Judith took over a dance studio, expanded it to children and adults of all ages, and incorporated music and poetry representing a wide variety of genres. Judith’s classes left an indelible mark on her students—not least, youth in transition to adulthood (e.g., “Tuesday Girls”). At this time, she also formed the Creative Dance Workshop, a dance troupe of select students who regularly performed her choreographies in the Bay Area. In collaboration with close friend and Stanford Drama Department instructor, Marianne Crowder, the Creative Dance Workshop provided the principal dancers for a film documentary of previously unrecorded Renaissance court dances. For her numerous important contributions to the Bay Area art scene, Judith was named Silicon Valley Arts Laureate. She was a multi-faceted artist who also leaves behind a rich cache of poetry, paintings, and photography.
She is survived by her husband, Alex, two siblings, Susan Kelly (m. Peter Kelly) and Robert Roach Jr. (“Nick” m. Linda Roach [deceased] and Fran Gammell Roach); three daughters, Clare Rothschild (m. Douglas Rothschild), Kirsten Komoroske, and Jessica Solomon (m. Rob Solomon); and six grandchildren, Declan Schriever (m. Paulette McCroskey), Maxwell Rothschild, Luke Rothschild (m. Madison James), Samson Solomon, Joshua Solomon, and Sophia Solomon. A private funeral mass will be followed later this year by a celebration of life event. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Dr. Betof Warner Research Fund at Stanford University or by check payable to Stanford University with “Dr. Betof Warner Research Fund in memory of Judith Komoroske” indicated on the memo line, mailed to Development Services, P.O. Box 20466, Stanford, CA 94309.
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