Judith Beth (Johnson) LaGrander, age 85, passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at Baldwin Care Center.
She was born September 18, 1939, in Rice Lake, Wisconsin to Glen Arthur and Mabel Josephine (Birkholz) Johnson. Judy attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and graduated from New Richmond High School in 1957. After high school, Judy attended Cosmetology school in Eau Claire Wisconsin, then worked at beauty salons in Menomonie and River Falls. While in River Falls, she met and married Rollie “Ron” LaGrander on April 15, 1961.
The couple settled in Cadott, Wisconsin where they welcomed their first children, Glenda and Kurt. Judy also owned/operated her first “Judy’s Beauty Salon”. Judy followed her husband Ron to Nashville, TN and Bozeman, MT for his educational pursuits and welcomed their son Scott. The couple returned to Wisconsin and eventually settled in Two Rivers, Wisconsin where they added Peter and Marcia to the family. The family moved to Spring Valley, Wisconsin in 1976 where they made their home and Judy reopened Judy’s Beauty Salon out of their house. After Ron’s death, Judy returned to her hometown of New Richmond where she owned/operated her beauty salon. In 1992, Judy moved to Menomonie, Wisconsin to be with her special friend, Larry Wolf.
Judy was a person that could talk to anyone, and the world responded in kind, where interactions with random strangers were the norm, not the exception. The beauty salon was never silent and there was always chatter of the latest gossip where Judy loved to share stories of her kids and grandkids. She was talented at handicrafts and could not watch a TV show or movie without keeping her hands busy with sewing or knitting. She used to say that her mother taught her that idle hands were the devil’s work and just smile if questioned how she could remotely pay attention while counting stitches. She had a dry sense of humor and a sharp tongue. Judy could convey either her displeasure or her mirth through a single raise of her eyebrow. In her later years, she loved antiquing and collecting dolls that she displayed in what her kids referred to as the “creepy doll room.” She also enjoyed attending car shows with her beloved 1967 Chevy Corvair.
Judy was preceded in death by her husband, Ron LaGrander; her daughter, Glenda Christianson; her infant daughter; her parents Glenn and Mabel Johnson; her siblings Kitty Wind, Bill Johnson and Janice Johnson.
Judy is survived by her children Kurt, Scott, Peter (Renee) and Marcia (Anne) LaGrander; her grandchildren Jeremy, Matt, Clinton, Bode and Braydon LaGrander, Billy and Julia Christianson, Isaac and Elijah Marciniak; her great-grandchildren Joleen, Jaisee, Jesse, Sophera, Brooklyn, Nick and Josh; and her sisters Nancy Schultz and Mary Jensen.
Special thanks to the Baldwin Care Center for the care Judy received in her last years.
Celebration of Life is Friday, January 10, 2024, from 5-7 p.m. at Keehr Funeral Home, Spring Valley. A prayer service will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home following the Celebration of Life. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Spring Valley, Wisconsin
Keehr Funeral Home, (keehrfuneralhome.com) Spring Valley, is handling arrangements.
