Thursday, December 21, 2023 | 10:30 AM
Florenzano, Judie age 77, of Edina, MN, passed away from complications of pneumonia on December 4, 2023 at Fairview Southdale hospital. Heaven gained an angel and our beautiful Judie claimed her wings surrounded by her loving family.
Judie was as beautiful inside as she was radiant on the outside. She was the beloved only child of Flick and Luella Davis (deceased.) She grew up in south Minneapolis and graduated from Washburn High School. She met Joe Florenzano during spring break in Florida in a romance that could have been from a beach party movie. They fell in love immediately, carried on a long distance romance between Minnesota and Rhode Island, and married in Barrington, Rhode Island in June, 1970.
Judie became an RN, graduating from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Winona, MN. She started her professional nursing career at the University of Minnesota Burn Unit and then worked at Metropolitan Medical Center (which later became Hennepin County Medical Center.) At MMC Judie practiced nursing in the field of Psychology, becoming the Head Nursing Supervisor of the Psychiatric Intensive Care unit. In 1975 - 1977 Judie taught Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) courses at St. Paul Technical Vocational Institute (STP-TVI) now called St. Paul College. During this time Judie was also studying for her masters degree at Augsburg University on a nursing scholarship. She was doing her masters thesis on MS and taking a clinical course where she was assigned to a veteran at the Veterans Hospital diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. After learning all the early signs of the disease, Judie realized that she thought she may have M.S. because she was experiencing many of the same symptoms as her VA patient. Judie’s self-diagnosis was later confirmed by her doctors. Her health slowly declined to the point that she was unable to work any longer and was later confined to a wheelchair. The once rising shining star in the nursing profession was no longer able to climb at the tender young age of 31. Judie and her family continued to live with M.S. until her death. Judie always gave her best to combat her disease and maintain her vitality, and her valiant, fighting spirit persisted until her last, final breath.
Judie was the mother of two children that she adored. She is survived by her loving daughter, Ashle; her son, Zachary, who survives in our hearts, predeceased Judie in 1998 at the age of 16. She is also survived by her devoted husband, Joe Florenzano, her brother-in-law David Florenzano, his wife Anne and nephews Eric and Kevin Florenzano.
A celebration of her life will be held on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, 5071 Eden Ave, at 10:30 AM with a visitation at 9:30 AM. In Lieu of flowers donations can be sent online to either the MS Society fundraisingsupport@nmss.org specify “Upper Midwest Chapter” (checks may be sent to: National MS Society, PO. Box 88540, Carol Stream, IL. 60188 specify “Upper Midwest Chapter”) -OR- Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of MN (wrcmn.org) 2530 Dale St N, Roseville, MN 55113.