Judith "Judy" Whitley Powell Mattsson

 Judy Whitley Powell Mattsson left this world suddenly on January 8, 2023, in Chicago, Il at the age of 75 surrounded by family. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and dear friend to many.

A memorial service will be held March 4, 2023, at 1:00 pm at the First Baptist Church in Wilson, NC. The service will be presided over by Pastor Chris Thomas. Friends and family are invited to the family residence immediately after the service to celebrate her life.

Judy was born on May 27, 1947, to loving parents Carl MaCrae and Eleanor Souther Whitley.  Judy was an only child but enjoyed the love and affection of many aunts, uncles, and cousins during her youth. Judy cherished her lifelong friendships that were forged in her youth and throughout college.

Judy graduated from Ralph L. Fike High School and continued to attend Duke University where she earned her degree in mathematics and business in 1969. After graduation she moved to Dallas and worked for Texas Instruments in computer programming. She then married her childhood sweetheart Charles C. Powell III of Wilson and relocated to Washington, DC before moving back to Wilson to raise children and to help run the family real estate business. 

She also spent countless hours volunteering at the Rape Crisis Center and numerous women’s shelters. Judy next earned her Master of Social Work from East Carolina University, where she found her passion in life helping children. She treated countless at-risk and traumatized youth through private practice in Greenville, NC and then in St. Thomas, where she and her late husband Dr. Ake Mattsson resided for many years. 

They then relocated to Washington, DC where Judy worked for 17 years in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's National Medical Center before recently retiring. She earned the respect amongst the medical staff for treating the most complex and sensitive adolescent psychological cases. Her dedication to her patients was unwavering. Through her family and her career, Judy leaves a legacy of empathy and kindness. 

Judy was a loving and nurturing mother to her two daughters. She was a role model for her grace, kindness, determination, and encouragement. Her children were preciously close to her heart, and she always valued their time together. 

Judy is survived by a family that loved her immensely including her daughters, Cameron Elizabeth Powell (Daniel Lamm), and Collett Powell Hudecek (Brian Hudecek), grandchildren Cooper Reiley Hudecek, Isla Collett Hudecek, Brody Ellis Hudecek, Culper Cameron Lamm, and Whitley Steele Lamm, and by her first husband Charles Collett Powell III. 

In addition to her family, Judy loved the beach, her poodle Lovie, and traveling. She will always be known for her thoughtfulness and the humor she shared as a mother-in-law to Daniel Lamm and Brian Hudecek.

Judy was preceded in death by her late husband Dr. Ake Mattsson, and her parents Carl MaCrae Whitley and Eleanor Souther Whitely. 

Flowers are welcome or please consider donations in Judy’s name to the place she fiercely believed in, The Wesley Shelter, PO Box 1426, Wilson, North Carolina 27894 or https://www.wesleyshelter.org/support-us

Condolences directed to Joyner’s Funeral Home and Crematory at www.joyners.net.