Judith Louise Raube

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8

Judy Louise Raube, a woman of pure heart, a zest for life, enduring faith, and boundless love, passed away on May 29, 2026, in Saginaw, Michigan, at the age of 81. Born on April 29, 1945, in Waupun, Wisconsin, to Elvira and Herbert Anderson, Judy lived a full and meaningful life that made a positive difference on so many people. She was a devoted mother, a proud grandma, a woman of deep Christian faith, a committed friend, and a joyful soul whose company always lifted up those in her presence.

Judy grew up in Waupun, Wisconsin, where she was born, alongside her sister Donna Mae and her brother Donald, graduating from Waupun High School. She had an idyllic childhood and was a loving daughter, sister, granddaughter and niece. She happily recalled visiting her grandpa’s corner candy and fountain shop with friends after school, summer trips to Tuttle Lake, and spoke fondly of her many childhood friends. Family was always very important to her and throughout her life she lovingly supported and cared for her parents and other relatives in time of need.

While circumstances meant she was unable to realize her goal of attending college, education was important to her. She was as conscientious and good student who had a comfort with numbers and genuine communication style that enabled her to have success in a variety banking and accounting jobs, and later at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she coordinated dormitory activities and connected warmly with young people at a formative stage of their lives. In that role, she notably enjoyed collaborating with Coach Bo Ryan to find suitable rooms for his basketball team, always being diligent to not show favoritism for the players over other students.

Of all of Judy’s wonderful traits, what stands out most is that she was a extraordinary mom to three children, Chad, Becky and Shelly. Navigating the challenges of being a single-mom and the adversity of some health issues, she was 100 percent dedicated to raising her children, pouring every ounce of herself into her children. She believed that her children could accomplish anything and one of her greatest gifts to them was instilling this same belief inside of them. One way this showed up was in the way she cheered for them. She was famously, joyfully, unapologetically the loudest parent at every football and basketball game, the one whose voice carried across the gym and the field, whose enthusiasm was impossible to miss and impossible not to feel. That love was not subtle. It was fierce, unconditional and always present, and Chad, Becky, and Shelly grew up knowing without question that their mother was in their corner.

The results speak for themselves. Chad, who has built his life alongside Nicholla; Becky, who was married to the late Kirk Ellsworth; and Shelly, married to Cindy Ellsworth, have collectively earned four master’s degrees and gone on to successful careers. But far more important to Judy than any credential was the kind of people they became: people who love others without condition, who meet difficulty with resilience, who are dedicated to a life of service, and who carry in them the same faith in God and warmth their mother modelled every day. She taught them to dream big. She taught them that they could do anything. The phrase from Bette Midler’s song, one of Judy’s favorites, “the wind beneath my wings” was never more true than it was for Judy and her children, and they will feel that lift for the rest of their lives. Judy also taught her children to love all people, regardless of background, circumstance, or difference. Her table was always wide, her welcome always warm, and her heart always open.

While raising her children, Judy spent most of her life in the Fond du Lac and Oakfield areas of Wisconsin, where she was an active presence in her community. Judy was never one to sit on the sidelines. She served on the Oakfield School Board, gave her voice and her heart to community theater, and delighted audiences with a singing talent she shared freely and joyfully. She was an avid swimmer, enjoyed tennis and golf, was a woman of tasteful personal style, possessed a quick wit, and a great sense of humor that anchored a magnetic personal presence that could light up any room.

Judy was a person who loved life and found joy in the big moments as well as life’s more subtle activities. Joy and laughter came naturally to Judy and she gladly shared it with others. Sometimes spontaneous, she was always open to trying activities, grabbing an ice cream, which she loved, making a smoothie, which she invented years before they become mainstream, going swimming, dancing with friends, taking in the beach, cheering on the Bucks, Packers and Brewers, or driving her convertible with the top down on a hot summer day. She embraced life and was always so much fun to be around. And as she embraced life, she did so with a positivity and authenticity that always looked for the positive side of things, both in life’s circumstances and in the people she met. She did not judge others, but naturally cheered them on. Always trying to lift others up. What a wonderful quality, which added to her impact as a devoted mom and friend. There was a sincerity and originality about Judy that was recognized by others as being special.

Later in life, in becoming a grandmother to Coco, Dakota, Memphis, and Boe, Judy discovered a whole new depth of joy. She was immensely proud of each of them, and she made sure they knew it. She loved to bake and eat cookies with them, to sit and truly listen to their stories with the kind of unhurried attention that makes a child feel like the most important person in the world, make jokes and have fun with them in the day to day motion of life. Her occasional sense of childlike mischievousness surfaced at times such as when she would eat all the Christmas cookies with the grandchildren in the basement. And just as she had done on every sideline and in every gym for Chad, Becky and Shelly, she cheered her grandchildren on with her whole heart, encouraging them to believe in themselves, to dream without limits, and to know that their grandmother saw something wonderful in them. She passed to them the same gift she had given their parents: the unshakeable confidence that they were loved and that they could do anything.

Judy was never afraid of a new horizon. She spent time in Panama City, Florida, brother’s where family drew her south with the warmth she loved, and where she delighted in one of her most cherished experiences, swimming with dolphins. It was exactly the kind of moment that captured who she was: joyful, open, fully present, and never too old for wonder. She later relocated to Saginaw, Michigan, to be closer to her daughters, a move that said everything about what mattered most to her. She crossed the Atlantic more than once to visit her son abroad, exploring England and France with the same open-eyed curiosity she brought to everything. She modeled for her children that adventure is not recklessness, it is faith in motion.

At the very center of Judy’s life was her faith in Jesus Christ. Not a faith that made her feel self-sufficient, but a faith that made her always hopeful and confident that Jesus was with her to guide her and her family, and take care of them. She leaned on the Lord the way a pure-hearted believer does, honestly and completely, and those around her saw the difference it made. Those who witnessed her pray understood they were witnessing something real: a conversation with God that felt entirely heard. Her children and grandchildren saw firsthand what it looks like to trust the Lord through genuine hardship and adversity and come through it not hardened, but softer, more grateful, more full of grace. Scripture tells us it is the pure in heart who see God, and those who knew Judy believed it. Her heart had no agenda, no pretense, no bitterness despite everything life had handed her. She inspired others not by preaching but simply by being, by the way she loved, forgave, and kept believing. Her family often said her prayers felt heard by Jesus. That was not a small thing. That was her whole life. Her faith is an inspiration to her family and a gift that she passed onto them. God no doubt delighted in the wonderful and joyous life that Judy lived as it was a life that put others first and a life that made a positive difference, both in terms of how she cared for others, but also in the model she set for others to follow. It was a model anchored by her faith in God who has now called her home for an eternity in heaven.

Judy is survived by her beloved brother Donald Anderson, her son Chad (Nicholla), her daughter Becky (late Kirk Ellsworth), Shelly (Cindy Ellsworth), and her four grandchildren, Coco, Dakota, Memphis and Boe. She was preceded in death by her parents, Elvira and Herbert Anderson; her dear sister, Donna Mae Anderson; and her son-in-law, Kirk Ellsworth.

Visitation for Judy will be held from 10:00 to 12:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026, at Immanuel Lutheran Church 525 West Main Street, Waupun.

A funeral service will follow at 12:00 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church with Pastor Vicki Simon officiating. Burial will take place at Forest Mound Cemetery.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

— Matthew 25:21