Meet Susan & Judy Wilson, LIVE at the Wild Goose Festival!

Susan and Judy Wilson

I am so excited to bring you this LIVE taping from the Wild Goose Festival.  Susan and Judy Wilson lit up the Goose Cast and my heart as they told us a love story for the ages.  They shared such courage, such love, and such hope.  In these politically charged moments of our lives it was a breath of fresh air to remember that LOVE does not die and as a community we CAN rise up and refuse to go back into the closet!

Judy Wilson was born in the aftermath of WWII. Her dad had been a pilot and was in law school. He read case law to her, which she thought forever scarred my life choices. She was a military brat, the eldest of 5, and raised in the Presbyterian Church. Thus, Judy was a rule follower who could successfully negotiate division of an uneven number of cookies among her siblings.

When Judy went to college she met Anne, and learned that there was such a thing as sex between women, and beer is pretty good stuff.  Judy decided she really wanted to be "normal" so she married a man, actually twice, and had 2 children. Judy met Susan in law school, and decided the heck with that being normal stuff. We were in classes and several organizations together, and fell deeply in love. We became a law school scandal, which was fun. (sarcasm implied.)

Thirty years later, we have had an incredible life together. We became very involved in the nonprofit world, starting a Family Visitation Center, where children could safely be exchanged by parents in conflict. We have been on several boards, mostly involving children's issues. I worked as a Guardian ad Litem attorney representing children in abuse and neglect cases. That was an amazing experience that allowed me to argue cases in front of both the NC Court of Appeals and the NC Supreme Court. My last job was with Legal Aid's Senior Law Project advising old folks like myself. Judy is now retired, spending an inordinate amount of time crocheting and buying yarn. We have 9 grandchildren and are actively part of their lives.

Although my early church years left me with conflict about my sexual orientation, I have found a home in the Episcopal Church, specifically The Cathedral of All Souls, where we have attended since 1991. I am an usher, volunteer at the church office, and participate in Bible study.

 

Susan Wilson  grew up mainly in Atlanta, Georgia and briefly in Germany and Buffalo, NY (which is why she knows- and I quote- “What Hell is like when it freezes over.”  Susan has a Masters Degree and a Doctor of Jurisprudence, from the University of Georgia and a Masters in Journalism. Susan and Judy, her now wife  were at UGA at the same time getting their Masters Degrees, and yet never met.  It wasn't until several years later that they met in law school where they became the local legal community scandal their third year when they fell in love. Susan reports, “We are less a scandal these days than little old ladies in comfortable shoes who are very much still in love and extremely comfortable with each other.”  Because of my lovely wife, we have two children and 9 grandchildren. 

They have lived in the Asheville, NC area since graduating in 1991.  Susan has worked for the County trying Child Support, Juvenile abuse, and neglect cases for about a decade before going into a domestic law private practice where she was also a Guardian ad Litem for both children and adults.

Susan ceased her domestic law practice in 2013 and switched to Elder Law - mostly Wills, and Powers of Attorney.  Much of her Elder Law practice was pro bono through a couple of local legal aid offices. Susan stopped practicing law completely in 2022.

For the past 10 years, Susan has worked as an Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Navigator through the Council on Aging of Buncombe County.  They provide unbiased free help to people getting insurance through the Marketplace.  Since we don't get paid by any insurance company, we can talk to people about all of the insurance options that are available and can help them complete the application correctly to minimize problems.

Along the way  Susan has been one of the founders of two juvenile restorative justice programs and the Family Visitation Center in Asheville.  Susan was also on several boards and served on the Asheville VA institutional review board (IRB) overseeing medical research projects.

Susan has always had a deep spiritual connection to the creator.  When she was quite young,  she told my parents that she played with Jesus up in heaven before she was born, reporting “I established a relationship with the Trinity before I was born.”

Susan grew up Methodist and switched to Episcopalian when she fell in love with her now wife, Judy.  They journeyed with All Souls (also know as All Sorts) as it explored Human Sexuality and came to accept same sex relationships. Their current Priest is a lesbian so clearly, “we did something right!”

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Judy Wilson on FaceBook

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