Judith "Judy" Marie Nail

With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Judith “Judy” Nail — a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to just about everyone in Carmel.

Judy was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the second of eight children of Cdr. (Ret.) Ambrose J. Kinion and Eleanor T. Weber. Her family moved to Carmel in 1956, where she grew up and graduated from Junipero Serra School, Carmel High, and Monterey Peninsula College.

She spent several years in Salinas while raising her family, but Carmel was always home, and she returned for good in the late 1990s. Over the years, Judy worked in many local businesses — from Chase Bank, to Safeway, to ACE Hardware — and seemed to know just about everyone in town. Whether she was helping a customer or bumping into an old friend on the street, she always had a smile and a story to share.

Judy also closely followed both national and local politics and wasn’t shy about sharing her opinions, whether in the Carmel Pine Cone or at City Council meetings.

She faced life’s challenges with determination and strength, but cancer was a battle she could not win. Judy will be remembered for her kindness, her big heart, and her gift for making friends — some lasting more than fifty years, others formed just recently. She often said she’d lived a long, full life, and she leaves behind a legacy of love, generosity, and resilience.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Jaye Kinion (1986) and JoAnn Davis (2022); and brothers Timothy J. Kinion (1978) and Terrence J. Kinion (1998).

She is survived by her daughter, Mindy Erickson (Fargo, North Dakota); son, Josh Nail (Dallas, Texas); sisters, Jeri Meisenheimer (Mariposa) and Janice Barlow (San Rafael); brother, Todd Kinion (Aptos); six grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and her dear friends, Carol LeNeve and Judy Ryan ;And Artemis her beloved cat.

Her family would like to thank her cardiologist, Dr. Lui, whose care gave her several extra years, as well as the Palliative Care Team at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.

Arrangements are by Mission Mortuary in Monterey. Judy chose not to have a funeral. She will be laid to rest in the St. Dominic Niches at San Carlos Cemetery in Monterey.