July 27, 1952 – March 29, 2023
Judy May (Marasch) Douglas, 70, of New London, WI, beloved daughter, wife, mother, and grandma passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at Aurora Medical Center, Oshkosh following a brief, but courageous battle with cancer. Although her loving family was always by her side taking great care to provide constant support, Judy, as she so often did in life, slipped quietly from this life so as not to worry or cause concern for any of them.
Born in New London, WI on July 27, 1952, she was the daughter of the late Elmer and Irene Marasch. She was a graduate of New London High School, and, except for a brief move to Missouri as a teenager, she remained a New London resident.
Judy married Tom Douglas in July of 1971. Together they made a home in New London where she raised their three children, Tanya, Tara, and Tommy, which eventually led her to become a full-time grandma, too. She enjoyed her time volunteering with the local girl scout troops and at Mosquito Hill Nature Center. Judy participated in three different quilting guilds and donated her sewn projects to multiple organizations. She spent time working at the Waupaca County Fair every summer, as well as a judge at other local fairs. She enjoyed every minute of being active in her community.
Upon retirement from her responsibilities as a paraprofessional and a bus driver for the Manawa School District, Judy was not one for being idle. She had many talents and enjoyed using them all to bring joy to her family and friends and to assist others. These included cooking, baking, sewing, quilting, and crocheting. Judy was always available for her family, friends, and anyone who asked if she could help with a project, regardless of how big or small. No matter where Judy went, she always ran into someone she knew, and if not, she made new friends along the way. She was always smiling and making happy memories with anyone who surrounded her. Judy had an amazing sense of humor, one she shared with her family and hospital staff right up until the very end.
Although her homemade meals and baked goods were a highly anticipated treat that brightened every holiday, Judy’s annual Easter egg hunts for her family are those of legends. No matter how old her children or grandchildren were, Judy made sure there were plenty of eggs for everyone to find. The older the seekers were, the more fun and intricate the hunt became. For Judy, it was not necessarily about the egg or what it contained, although hours/days were spent planning for the hunt. Instead, it was about the smiles and joy she brought to others during the search. The stories of Judy constructing cyphers for seekers to solve clues, treasure maps, and even GPS coordinates (think Geocaching) are infamous, will never be forgotten, but will be sadly missed. With that said, the family asks all who knew Judy to honor her by keeping Easter important in your annual celebrations as it was near and dear to her over the years.
A remembrance of Judy would not be complete without mentioning her love and admiration of nature and wildlife. She unselfishly shared this admiration with her family and friends. She relished her many adventures with them hunting, camping, and (her favorite) fishing. Judy always looked forward to her annual fishing trips to Canada with her good friends and family. If there was a hint of reason to be outdoors, even getting her hands dirty with lawn work, Judy took it. Judy was filled with a special type of charisma, and she will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her.
Besides her husband, Tom, she is survived by her daughter, Tara Douglas, son, Tommy Douglas (special friend Jessica Fritz), granddaughters, Destiny Burton (Nic) and Brianna Bork, grandsons, Damion and Justice Blohm, and sister, Jan Marasch along with many many friends too numerous to mention.
In addition to her parents, Judy is predeceased by her daughter, Tanya Otto.
A Celebration of Life for Judy will be shared by her family and friends in her remembrance at 11:00 am on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at the Cline-Hanson-Dahlke Life Celebration Center in Weyauwega. A visitation will be held at the Celebration Center on Friday, April 7, from 3:00 – 6:00 pm and also on Saturday from 9:30-10:45 am. Judy requested that black not be worn by attendees, therefore, the family asks you to honor her by wearing something with color as we gather and celebrate this selfless, strong, and charismatic woman.