Honoring Tradition.
Celebrating Life.
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Judith Morgan

July 23, 1938 - May 22, 2021
Grand Rapids, MI

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Service

Thursday, May 27, 2021
11:00 AM EDT
St. Mary's Catholic Church
423 First Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

All are invited to visit together beginning at 10 AM at church.

Map

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

St. Mary's Church Preservation Fund
423 First Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Humane Society of West Michigan
3077 Wilson Drive NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49534
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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In the year 1938, the most anticipated sporting event of the 20th century was held where the underdog Seabiscuit made history by defeating War Admiral at the Plimlico Race Course.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, W. Lester and Florence Catherine (Fischer) Morgan welcomed home their newborn daughter, Judith Ann, on July 23rd, joining her older brother, Charles. Her birth brought much happiness to the family home. In adulthood, she was very close to her brother and his children, Deb, Sue and Michael.

In her younger days, Judy enjoyed dancing, family vacations and camping. She loved spending her summers water skiing and hanging with her cousins at Silver Lake. She had many friends, some of which she has known for 73 years!

Judy could be mischievous. As a child, one of the games she and her friends used to play they named R-dinging which means ringing doorbells and hiding in the bushes! When she was an adult, she dressed up her niece Deb to look like an old lady to come buy lemonade at Sue and Tracey’s lemonade stand.

After high school and a few other jobs, Judy started her career at the Kent County Health Department. In the Payroll department she was the “go to gal”. She loved her job there and enjoyed spending time with her co-workers. Judy retired from the Kent County Health Department after many years.

In the early 1960’s she met Don Nash through their mutual friend, Claudette. Don would become her lifelong companion whom she loved deeply. Judy and Don were very social. They loved to Jitterbug as well as cross-county skiing, camping and playing horseshoes. They held season tickets to the Civic Theatre and loved bowling with great friends.

Judy and Don would take vacations with Deb, Sue, Mike and Don’s daughter Tracey. When spending time at Silver Lake, they would walk across the sand dunes to Lake Michigan where her mom would be waiting at the channel with lunch. Every summer they would go to Cedar Point. Judy loved the roller coasters and always rode with her hands in the air!

We all enjoyed Judy’s cooking; she made holiday dinners so special with our favorite dishes. Her favorite dessert was her mom’s Lemon Meringue pie – although she couldn’t make it herself to save her life! Her favorite meal EVERY SATURDAY, no matter what, was hamburger and chips.

Being a west sider, although not Polish herself, Judy enjoyed celebrating Pulaski Days. As a young girl she enjoyed painting and going to craft shows. She was an avid reader and did her crossword puzzles in pen.

Judy loved doting on her great niece and nephews. She would help dress the children, Jeremy, Sam and Josh, for trick-or-treating and they would go around the neighborhood together.

She really enjoyed camping with the boys and riding roller coasters with Sam. In fact, once Sam was so afraid on a coaster ride that she hid her face in Judy’s arm and, in her excitement, Sam bit Judy!

After her time at Silver Lake, Judy and her brother, Charlie, bought property at Clear Lake near Baldwin, Michigan. And, like her parents before her, Judy loved her Airstream trailer.

Judy always had the companionship of a furry friend or two. Always a Boston Terrier or a Brittany Spaniel – sometimes both. She definitely was an animal lover!

She also enjoyed working part-time at the Van Andel Arena. She was very active in her church. Judy counted the collection from Sunday Mass as well as being on the funeral committee where she prepared dishes for funeral lunches or helped serve the guests.

She looked forward to the annual trips to Shipshewana in Indiana to visit the flea market, as well as traveling to such places as Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico with Don, Tracey and Tracey’s husband Vic.

Judy Morgan will always be remembered as a wonderful person to know and to love; her memories are sure to endure forever.

Judith Morgan, age 82 of Grand Rapids, passed away May 22, 2021. Judy was preceded in death by her parents, Lester and Florence Morgan, her brother, Charles Morgan, and her longtime companion, Don Nash. Judy is survived by her nieces and nephew Deb (David) Appel, Sue (Keith) Dykstra, Mike Morgan; Tracey Catalano, who is like a daughter to Judy; as well as grand-niece and nephews Jeremiah Morgan, Samantha Cartagena and Joshua Appel. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at St. Mary’s Church in Grand Rapids where friends may visit with her family beginning one hour prior to the service. Interment in Mt. Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either St. Mary’s Church (for the Preservation Fund) or to the Humane Society of West Michigan. To read more about Judy, to share a memory or to sign her guestbook, visit www.heritagelifestory.com

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