Judith Marie Lamar, ‘Judy,’ 79, kept a ‘beautifully decorated’ home and was hard to beat at Scrabble

Obituary for Judith Marie Lamar, ‘Judy’

October 27, 1943 – August 25, 2023 

Judith Marie Lamar, ‘Judy,’ 79, found peace on Aug. 25, 2023, in Mount Pleasant. She was born in Racine on Oct. 27, 1943, to the late LeRoy and Lillian (née Wrixton) Larsen. Judy graduated from Union Grove High School, was married, and moved to Bad Axe, Mich., where her son Jay was born in 1964. Her daughter, Kim, was born two years later in Racine. 

Judy began work as a secretary for SC Johnson. She then followed her passion and went to school to become a nurse. She began her nursing career at St. Mary’s Hospital. She spent most of her working career as an occupational health nurse. She first worked for Western Publishing and then for Modine Manufacturing for 16 years until she was forced to retire early due to health problems. She did a little traveling and volunteering, but spent a great deal of time in poor health and/or recovering from surgeries. She lived with severe chronic pain most of her life. 

Luckily, she had an amazing group of friends and family. They supported her and tried to make her life as normal as possible by going out to eat, shopping, or playing Scrabble with her. She was hard to beat. She also loved game night with Kim, Mitch and Rachel. Judy always had a beautiful home and was known for her decorating.

Judy’s son, Jay, passed away on April 25, 2008. He gave her two beautiful grandchildren before passing. They were her pride and joy. They live in Missouri and travel became impossible. So, she had to rely on the internet to keep them close. 

She leaves behind her daughter, Kim Lamar Pezanoski and son-in-law Mitchell Pezanoski, of Racine; grandchildren, Jay Jr. and Jana Lamar and their mother Karen Lamar, of Arnold, Mo.; brother, James (Bonny) Larsen, of Burlington; “sister,” Kathy Larsen, of Mount Pleasant; sister-in-law, Ellen Larsen, of Williams Bay, Wis.; many nieces, nephews and friends, too numerous to mention all by name.

Besides her parents and son, Judy was preceded in death by her brother, Warren Larsen; and many other extended family members and friends. 

Services

Funeral services for Judith Marie Lamar will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. for visitation on Sept. 1 at Sturino Funeral Home. Visitation will be followed by a service and a luncheon.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Judy’s memory would be appreciated to the American Arthritis Foundation or the CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth) Research Foundation.

We would like to thank all of those who supported Judy over the years, from taking her to appointments to sending her cards. You kept her going. And a special thank you to the staff at Primrose for taking care of Judy for the past few years. She loved the friendly banter and called you all friends. Thank you to the dozens of doctors and medical staff who have treated Judy over the decades. You kept her going years longer than she ever expected.

Obituary and photo of Judith Marie Lamar courtesy of Sturino Funeral Home.