Judith Kies, 77

Dec. 1, 1947 -

Aug. 16, 2025

 

CRESCO - Judith "Judy" Kies went to be with the Lord on August 16, 2025 after a brave battle with Lewy body disease.  She was born Judith Christine Pope on December 1, 1947 in Waukegan, IL but grew up in Minneapolis, MN.  Her parents were Bert and Bernice Pope.  Bert was an Army "forward observer" in WWII  in Europe and then became an aircraft radio mechanic.  Bernice worked in a medical supply factory for the war effort, winning an award for a labor-saving suggestion, and then worked for the City of Minneapolis. 

When Judy started school, she was the youngest in her class.  Her birthday was a little under the cut off, but her mother insisted that she was ready.  She was the first in her family to go to college, getting her Bachelor of Science in Education from Winona State University in 1969.  She was the first woman at Winona to take a drafting class, and the professor was concerned until he saw her work.  He used her assignments in his other classes to show them what he was looking for.

After college, Judy taught 5th grade at the middle school in Cresco, IA where she met Jim Kies, who taught science there.  They were married May 22nd, 1971 at Cresco Community Chapel.  After the wedding, she gamely moved into the partially renovated 1854 stone house in Vernon Springs.  The indoor bathroom wasn't even functional when she had morning sickness with their first child.  She took a break from teaching to take care of their daughters, Lisa and Sheri, with a large vegetable garden to help keep them all busy.  She returned to the classroom as an assistant when her children attended Calvary Baptist Academy and when that school closed, she homeschooled until her girls were ready for high school.

Judy was raised Catholic, but was dissatisfied with Catholicism from a young age.  In high school, she went to an evangelical church with a friend and there learned that she could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which is exactly what she had been seeking.  She continued to grow in her faith in college and was the president of the local Intervarsity Christian Fellowship there.  One of the main ways she got to know Jim before their marriage was studying the Bible together.  She continued to study the Bible deeply, and developed a particular interest in the book of James, and his discussion of the benefits of a working faith in this life and the next.  She always loved babies, so she served the Chapel in the nursery and then volunteered as the church secretary for over 20 years. 

She was always the problem solver; in her teaching work, her extended family, and her church.   She loved classic cars, owned a Pontiac GTO when she got married, and always wanted a Studebaker Avanti.  She enjoyed the gardens and nature around her home, and was an expert seamstress, sewing clothing for her daughters and herself (including her own wedding dress), and making beautiful quilts.

She is survived by her husband, James Leroy Kies; her daughters, Lisa Kies (Russ Echelbarger) and Sheri (Jason) Clements; her grandchildren, Madelyn and Joshua Clements; her siblings, Yvonne Pope, Pamela Anderson, and David Pope; and multiple nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents, Bertran Arthur Pope, Jr. and Bernice Francis Strenke Pope; and her grandparents, Bertran Arthur Pope, Sr., Vinez Swinson Pope, August "George" Strenke, and Charlotte Richard Strenke.

Funeral Services for Judy were at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 25, 2025, at the Cresco Community Chapel in Cresco with Pastor Gordon Eggleston officiating.  Visitation was held Monday morning from 10-11 a.m. at the church prior to the start of the service.  Judy was laid to rest at New Oregon Cemetery south of Cresco.