In Memoriam: Dennis Judy

SNELLVILLE, Ga. - Dennis Judy, who spent 40 years in the pest control industry, passed away on Dec. 15, after a long battle with cancer. He was 71.

A native of West Virginia, Judy earned a degree in education at Fairmont State University, and his first post-college job was as a junior high school teacher. Seeking more income to support his growing family, Judy responded to a “help wanted” ad for a sales position with the Clarksburg, W. Va., Orkin branch.

Judy made his way to Allgood Pest Solutions, Duluth, Ga., where he put his education background to good use as director of education and quality assurance at the large Georgia firm (now a part of Rentokil).

As Judy recalled in his 2016 Crown Leadership Awards article, his training methods were based on practical, common-sense approaches and could be best described as a guided discovery to the facts. “People learn better when they believe they did it themselves,” he says. “It encourages them to want to achieve more,” he said.

One of Judy’s mentees was Glen Ramsey, technical director, Rollins, who worked alongside Judy at Allgood, beginning in 2011. Ramsey told PCT that Judy  was extremely instrumental in his career "by introducing to me to people I would need to know later on, getting me involved in local and state associations and putting me in a truck early on so that I could really gain an understanding of what it was like to do the job day in and day out.”

Ramsey saw first-hand why Judy was an effective trainer. “He utilized his education degree in the way he taught technicians," he said. "He made training fun and provided a lot of hand-on learning experiences instead of traditional classroom teaching. One of his legacy’s is that he wanted to improve every technician - for them to work on their appearance, manners and communication so that they would be more than the 'bug guy.' He wanted them to be seen as a professionals that took care of public health and personal property.”

In 2017, he launched his own pest control company, Judy’s Pest Services. He remained an active member of the Georgia Pest Control Association, where he was a past president.

Dennis is survived by his mother, Elaine, of Petersburg, W. Va., wife Jeannie, sons Jeremy (Casey), Joshua and Nicholas, granddaughter Katelynn Decker ( Zack), grandsons Tallyn Ray and Colton, great-grandchildren Kolter and Stetson Ray, and brother David and family.

Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, A Family Company, 3705 Highway 78 West.