All lives reach a conclusion. But books possess the power to live forever.

Judy Simmons' book, "Around the Bend," is a tribute to her death and her life.

A resident of Lititz, Judy passed away on Christmas Day 2022 following a long, debilitating illness, about two weeks after she completed her one and only book. In the early days of June, through the continued love and support of her family, "Around the Bend" was published on Amazon.

The story of how the 180-page book came to be published is as compelling as the inspirational novel itself.

"Judy was a really serious Christian woman," said Ernie Simmons, Judy's husband of 60 years. "She felt like God wanted her to do this book. She had prayed about it for years. When she got healthy enough to write again, that's what we were going to do."

A writer of Christian articles, Judy was inspired to start "Around the Bend" after a conversation with her pastor at church 19 years earlier. "God has a book," he had said, "that He wants you to write."

In 2021, her doctors informed the 75-year-old Judy that she didn't have long to live and they couldn't do much for her. Over the last few months of her life, from June of 2022 to this past Christmas, finishing "Around the Bend" became Judy's goal. She even went as far as dictating the final few chapters over the phone due to her declining health.

"She knew she had to do whatever she had to do to get the book done," said Ernie. "For her to be able to complete it was an absolute miracle."

"She felt like these characters were inside of her ready to come out," Ernie continued. "She'd be driving in the car, and she'd see something, and she'd say, 'I need to put that in the book.' She would write the final chapter and say, 'I think this is supposed to happen, too.' It has a wonderful ending. It just all comes together."

Judy, who had a background in counseling women and marriage counseling, and Ernie are the parents of five children. Ernie said that the key to the longevity of their union was that "we never stopped dating."

"Her passing was wonderful," said Ernie. "I know that's a strange thing to say, but she was plagued by back pains and congestive heart failure and other things that competed with her time and love for life."

"We celebrated Christmas Eve like we always did," concluded Ernie. "My sister and our daughter put her to bed. The next day when she woke, she got out of bed, and she walked three steps and fell to her knees. I laid her down on the floor, and on the way down she said, 'Oh, Jesus!' She apparently saw Jesus and she died."

For additional information on "Around the Bend," search for the book's title on Amazon.