It is with great sadness that we at Groton Open Space Association report the death of our dear friend, neighbor and benefactor Judy (Julia) Weber on August 31, 2026.
She was 90 years old, and had lived a good life on Avery Farm. Judy’s father, Latham Avery, purchased his first parcel at age 19 in 1928 or ’29, intending to create a nature preserve. He and a neighbor, Jim Lamb, built a dam and spillway with boards to regulate the height of the water, eventually forming a 38-acre marsh wildlife habitat. The town helped by raising the roadway and strengthening the bank.
The scenic dirt Lambtown Road Extension, now closed to traffic, is wheelchair-accessible and is a favorite destination for recreation and birdwatching. The road is surrounded by diverse habitats: the marsh, Ed Lamb Brook, several fields, a rare white cedar swamp, forests and hedgerows. The marsh features wading birds, wood ducks, migrating ducks and geese, beavers, basking turtles, small fish, rare carnivorous plants and floating plant islands.
Judy attended a one room schoolroom nearby on Ledyard’s Lambtown Road, and she fondly remembered children skating on the frozen marsh during recess.
Over the years, Latham acquired more parcels, adding up to a full 305 acres. He developed a small dairy farm, with a herd of 30 or so Jersey milk cows, hand milking and haying. Judy’s sister, Katherine, later raised regional and national champion Morgan horses. The family now provides the fields as a home for rescue horses.
Throughout her life, Judy appreciated the quiet beauty of the land and the diversity of its wildlife. When we at GOSA thanked her for asking us to save the land, she returned our thank-you, saying she felt relief and that she had been losing sleep worrying about the fate of her property once she was gone.
With the help of her lawyer Deborah Tedford, Judy arranged a generous bargain sale to GOSA of the 305 acres; she donated approximately 150+ acres located in Groton, and accepted a market price for the remaining 150+ acres in Ledyard. The family continues ownership of the 1.39 acres surrounding the historic 1775 farmhouse and barn. A lease agreement with GOSA provides for the family’s use of the fields, forest, sheds, and composting area for agricultural purposes and for firewood gathering. A conservation easement favoring the State provides for public access and for an additional layer of protection, as part of its Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition grant program agreement.
We at GOSA are forever grateful to Judy for her generosity and foresight in wanting to save this beautiful land forever.
Condolences may be sent through the Byles Funeral Home website, or may be sent by mail to PO Box 436, Ledyard, CT 06339.
There will be a graveside service in the Lambtown Cemetery on Lambtown Road in Ledyard, on September 5, 2026, at 10 am.