Judith Anne Cole's Obituary
Judith Anne (Katz) Cole, born in Muskegon, MI, on October 24, 1939, died on January 28, 2026, after a full life balancing family, faith, career, and 54 adventure-filled years of marriage to William John Cole. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Harvey and Mildred (Westerlund) Katz. Her older sisters were Carolyn (John) VanderVeen, and Pat (Walter) Reinke. All of these preceded her in death. She is survived by sons Adam Cole of Menlo Park, CA and David Cole, currently living overseas; stepdaughter Carilee (Thomas) Moran of Fenton, MI; stepsons Randal (Ann Marie) Cole of Lorain, OH and Kelly (Lena) Cole of Whitehouse, TN; and former daughter-in-law Nicolette Cole of Three Rivers, MI, along with seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and a large, warm extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Judy grew up in the Lakeside neighborhood of Muskegon, graduating from Muskegon High School in 1957 before earning a certification in immunohematology from the Ortho Research Foundation and a B.A. in biology from Grand Valley State University. She then worked as a medical technologist at Hackley and Mercy Hospitals before finishing her career as chief of the medical laboratory at Lakeshore Hospital in Shelby.
In 1968, she married John, a journalist’s son, an engineer, and a keen lifelong student from the mountains of North Carolina. His range of passions sparked shared adventures all over the Western Hemisphere: a Caribbean honeymoon, backpacking in the Grand Tetons, solar eclipses in Newfoundland and St. Louis, and tours of Great Britain, Germany, Poland, and the California Wine Country. For John, who saw humor in everything, Judy was the perfect match, meeting his blizzard of wordplay with the expected groans while revealing her own wicked gift for the one-line zinger, often delivered with a satisfied smile hidden behind her hand. It didn't do to underestimate her, particularly at Scrabble or Boggle, where she was apt to beat all comers, with a bit too much of a glint in her eye to believe that she didn’t care about competition.
In 1974, they broke ground on the rustic house John had long dreamed of building on the forested banks of Flower Creek, in White River Township near Montague. In that home, Judy drew upon the adaptability that became her hallmark, supporting her family’s pursuits while cultivating her own standard of quiet elegance amidst the idiosyncrasies of rural life and the competing responsibilities of motherhood and career. She cooked whole-food vegetarian meals before it was fashionable, learned to knit and weave, celebrated holidays with all the classic trimmings, wandered woods alive with birds and wildflowers, and avidly devoured books, passing all these loves in varying measure to her children.
As the daughter of a lifelong church organist, Judy never stopped sharing her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice, singing for decades with the Montague Methodist Church Choir, the White Lake Madrigals, and the White Lake Chorale as an expression of her deep and unwavering Christian faith. Even when words failed her, her undimmed joy in music brightened her life to the very end.
Soon after John's death in April 2022, Judy moved to StoryPoint in Rockford, MI, where she forged new friendships, became a favorite among her caregivers, and was cared for with dignity and kindness until her death.
Yet Judy could not be summed up in mere accomplishments or anecdotes. She was, quite simply, the sun her family and all in her orbit could rely on for inexhaustible warmth and love, unquestioning acceptance, unjudging insight, and unbounded generosity—a fixed star you could set against an entire universe of doubts and cares with utmost confidence, lighting the path without ever imposing it. She was, ultimately, a homemaker in the most profound sense: she made those she loved feel safely at home always, wherever they were and whatever they might be enduring.
Judith Anne Cole's life will be celebrated at a memorial service at White Lake United Methodist Church (8555 Cook St., Montague, MI 49437) on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 11:00 AM, with a luncheon to follow. Visitation for those who wish to pay their respects will take place from 6-8 PM on Friday, May 15, 2026, at The Sytsema Chapel of Sytsema Funeral and Cremation Services, 737 Apple Ave., Muskegon, MI 49442 (231) 726-5210. Judy's mortal remains were cremated, as was her wish, and will be scattered by family in a place she loved well, where her husband also rests.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, 300 E. Crystal Lake, Twin Lake, MI 49457; https://donate.bluelake.org/camp, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Attn: Philanthropy Office, P.O. Box 199, Interlochen, MI 49643; https://www.interlochen.org/giving-to-interlochen/impact-giving/how-to-give, or the White Lake Community Fund, 425 W. Western Avenue Suite 200, Muskegon, MI 49440; https://muskegonfoundation.org/funds/white-lake-community-fund/
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