Judith ‘Judy’ Venable, 79

Dec.13, 1942 —

Nov. 21, 2022

 

CRESCO - Judith “Judy” Ann Venable, age 79, died on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in LaCrosse, Wis.Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, at Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home, with Pastor Tom Denney officiating. Burial will be in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Cresco. A visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, at Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home, and will continue for one hour prior to the service on Saturday.

Judith Ann Bowman was born on Dec. 13, 1942, the daughter of Fred and Josephine (Powers) Bowman in McDowell County, W.V. She grew up in Eureka Holler, W.V. and attended Northfork School. She enjoyed sleepovers with her cousins, where they would dance, play games and discover the outdoors. Judy liked to collect dolls throughout her life. Many of her dolls have been passed down to family members. Her 16th birthday always held special significance as it was the only birthday party she had growing up. 

In 1963, Judy married James “Jim” Venable. Jim was in the military, which meant the family moved several times during his career. Beginning in 1970 and over the course of seven years, the family moved from Virginia to Germany to Idaho to Texas and finally to Decorah, Iowa, where he was an Army Recruiter. 

Judy began working at Sue-Z-Q’s and as a legal secretary for Anderson, Story and Schoeberl, and then went to work with Jim Anderson when he took up his own practice. 

To Judy, family and faith meant everything. She loved time spent with family, baking with her grandchildren, borrowing and giving them shoes, and keeping track of them on Facebook and Snapchat. 

She also enjoyed time spent with her church family at Faith Bible Fellowship Church. She was an outgoing person and liked to send cards on behalf of her church family and personally. Judy kept her mind sharp by playing board games, all kinds of puzzles, games on her iPad and creating macramé hangings. She could be found solving all the puzzles on “Wheel of Fortune,” cheering on college football teams or quietly reading a book. 

Judy had a huge heart and loved giving to others. If anyone was in need, she would give all she had and do without. 

Judy is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Gann of Fort Worth, Texas, Jean Manning of Burnsville, Minn. and Julie (Denny) Frazer of Mason City, Iowa; grandchildren Breanna (Clint Nichols) Frazer of Rochester, Minn., Jessica (Andrew) Bartels of Ionia, Iowa, Colby Frazer of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sarah (Ryan) Noble of Owatonna, Minn., Scott Manning of Bloomington, Minn., Ryan Manning of Bloomington, Minn., Matthew (Rikki) Espinosa of Miss., Cindi Axsom of Fort Worth and Kelsey Axsom of Cleburn, Texas; great-grandchildren Nova Bartels, Kayden and Avyn Manning-Wallace, Jaxdon Noble, Eloise Manning, Paisli and Dahlia Espinosa and Faylinn Woosley; and her brother, Oscar (Bonita Harmel) Bowman of The Villages, Fla.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, James; son, Jay; sisters, Faye (Elwood) Felts and Bobbi (Jim) Mitchem; and brother, Doug Warner.