Lillian Judy, of Niles
Published 8:07 am Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Aug. 22, 1926 — March 5, 2018
Lillian Judy, 91, of Niles, died peacefully at 6:45 a.m. on Monday, March 5, 2018, with her family gathered around at her home following a brief illness.
She was born on Aug. 22, 1926, in Trilby, Florida, to Alex Carl and Ethel Mae (Levins) Williams. She was raised in Oklahoma and settled in Niles – in her current house – in 1947.
Lillian Judy
She served as a waitress at several of Niles’ prominent restaurants including Ralph Laverty’s Mural Lounge at Fifth and Wayne Streets, the Pickwick Club upstairs in the Niles Daily Star building and Someplace Else on South 11th Street, all now only memories.
Lillian had been a founding member of the Bethel Baptist Church, and was currently a member of Beacon Baptist Church, both in Niles. She loved the Lord, served the church as a Sunday School teacher and carried home-cooked meals to folks who were homebound. She was well-known for her kitchen skills, her family enjoying everything that she prepared, and especially her fried chicken.
On March 16, 1947, in Lakeland, Florida she married Franklin W. Judy with whom she celebrated the 29th anniversary of their wedding before his death on Oct. 11, 1976.
She was also preceded in death by two sisters and a brother, and by all 11 of her husband’s siblings.
Surviving family includes her children, Connie Deutscher of Stevensville, Michigan, Franklin R. Judy of Niles, and Deborah (& William) Carpenter of Allegan, Michigan; grandchildren, Amber Judy, Elisha (Jason) Messner, Matthew Carpenter, and Talia Beverly; five great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
The funeral service for Lillian Judy will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, 2018, at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street, Niles, with Pastor Michael Harris of Beacon Baptist Church officiating. Committal will follow at the Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.
The family will receive relatives and friends beginning at 1 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home. Contributions in memory of Lillian may be made to Beacon Baptist Church, 2522 South Fifteenth Street, Niles, Michigan, 49120. Online condolences may be left at: halbritterwickens.com.
