Judit (Judy) Téglássy Dean was born in war-torn Hungary and lived in Austria, France, Argentina, Canada, and the US, skillfully learning the language in each of those countries. She graduated from Brigham Young University, married, and had four sons. Her eldest, Paul, was killed in a traffic accident at age 15. She often said that being a mom was her favorite occupation. Family life took her to Nicaragua and all over the US, including Northern California, where she decorated homes with her signature flair for elegance and beauty. 

In middle life, she returned to her beloved homeland and enjoyed 25 years in Budapest, doing medical translation for a prominent surgeon and attending the operas she loved. Those who knew her were impressed by her quiet elegance and delighted by her ribald sense of humor. She was always well put-together, up for an adventure, and ready to play a card or board game. In 2017 she moved to Maui to live with her son David and daughter-in-law Denise, as her long journey with Parkinson’s finally required more help. After a lifetime of adjusting to new cultures, she fell in love with all of the fresh fruit she found on Maui and quickly learned Hawaiian place names. She was excited to learn bridge and soon became a contender, making new friends at the Kaunoa Senior Center and elsewhere. After a precipitous downturn in her health, she died with her hands held by loved ones and her favorite Wagner opera playing in the background.