Judy's family takes great comfort in knowing Judy is with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God took her home early Thursday morning May 25, 2017.
Judy was born in Macklin, Sask. Canada on June 2, 1946 to Robert and Ione (Gilchrist) Kenny, the second child in a whole passel of kids (Judy's words). After leaving Canada in 1949, the family lived in Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana before moving to Lambert, MT where Judy called "home" for the rest of her life.
Judy married her high school sweetheart Jim Thiessen, on September 23, 1966. They were blessed with four children, son Jeff, daughter Michelle, son Russ, and son Christopher.
Judy loved to talk about her faith, what heaven will be like, and her love of God. A few months ago she requested that we sing, in her room, the song "That Sounds Like Home To Me, Right Where I Want To Be". She was a dedicated servant of the Lord. She was a faithful witness and student of the Bible. Whenever we had a "Bible question", we said call Judy.......she will know". For several years she held Bible study in her home and those who went missed it dearly when she was unable to do it anymore. Many good things happened in her home, just to mention a few: FIRST, there was ALWAYS music! She loved to play the piano and listen to gospel music. When as children we thought we were in trouble with Dad, we would tell her to sit down and start playing so we could be singing as Dad came in and forget that he was upset with us. (Bet we didn't fool him a bit) She was a big influence on her granddaughter, Tea, to pursue her talent with the flute. She played piano in many church services, camp services, weddings, and a few school events. SECOND, there was always good food in her house. Every day was "bake day" in Judy"s house. Little wonder, with 4 men to consume it!! She was the best bread maker. We made sure when the family got together, that Judy brought the buns! For years, our extended family arrived on Thanksgiving Day to a mouthwatering aroma from her kitchen and sat down to a bountiful meal. On a side note..... (Russell ate the most, just ask Sherry) THIRD, Judy loved and admired "her three sons" So proud of their accomplishments.....and, of course, bragged a little about them. Then there are her grandkids. They meant the world to her. Her love and pride in them showed on her face every time she talked about them. The last couple of months she often had nightly "visits" (dreams) from family, mostly her Grandkids who came and sat in the chair and kept her company. She would try to tell us about them but start to laugh and never got around to telling the whole story. Don't think we were meant to hear it all. They were her special moments to cherish and remember during the long nights. FOURTH, was the outdoors. You would think with all the baking, meal, and kid activities; she wouldn't have had time for the outdoors. She and Grandma Great Ailee put in a garden which seemed to get bigger every year!!! Seems those men that plowed and tilled her spot, couldn't do things small. Then there was her flowers and lawn. She took a lot of pride in them. Thank goodness Crane had a greenhouse so she could make a quick run for more!! When she married Jim, she was thrust into learning the "farm life". As with everything, she embraced it and driving tractor was FUN! Unloading trucks was FUN! Pushing cattle was FUN! She pulled some hours in the calving barn to relieve the men for a while. As her siblings would say, "she's the achiever!!! Whatever she did, she did with "gusto". We want you to remember her most for her love of God, her generous spirit, and her desire to do Gods will in her life. Many times she reminded us of how wonderful heaven will be. Even with her disabled body, she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. She willingly went to the nursing home, saying "it’s too much for Jim to take care of me" Once there though; she hated to have them do things for her. A Bit Stubborn, her sisters would say. She said, "there are others that need help more than me". We take this time to say thank you to the staff, nurses, cna's and doctors that cared for her. We also want to thank all who stopped by to visit her. I'm sure it made for loving reflection during the night and we cannot be more appreciative to all of you. Each of you holds a special place in her heart. So, till we meet again, we say, "you were a blessing to us Judy".
Judy is survived by: her husband of 50 years Jim; son, Jeff and Lisa Thiessen (Shae Thiessen and Chantel Huen), son, Russ and Jill Thiessen (Tea and Tyler), son, Topher and Thuy Thiessen (Micheal and Kyle); and 4 great grandchildren; her brother and sisters and their families, Sherry and Kenny Jones, Ranetta and Monte Fulton, Bruce and Della Kenny, and Cozette Hart, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by: daughter, Michelle Thiessen; father, Robert Kenny; mother, Ione Kenny; brother, Dennis P. Kenny, brother, Mike D. Kenny; sister, Sandy Knopp; mother and father-in-law, Ailee and C.R. Thiessen; sisters-in-law, Corky Thiessen and Midge Toavs.