Judy was born April 18, 1944 in Hastings, NE. She was raised an army brat and lived in Bladen, NE, California, Kansas, Washington, Virginia, Germany and Georgia during her childhood and graduated from Groveton High School, Alexandria, Virginia in 1961. She attended Hastings College and married Rolland Grandstaff on March 2, 1962 in Bladen, NE.
Judy was librarian for the Blue Hill Public Library for 46 years. She served as director of the library, implementing many programs, including the library expansion, until her illness in early 2014.
Judy is survived by her husband, Rollie, two children, daughter Jennifer and Tim Frary of Casper, WY, son Jahn and Melinda Grandstaff of Fremont, NE; Grandson Wheaton Kremke and fiancé Ashley Carswell of Torrington, WY, granddaughters Bailey and Kyle Koster of Spokane, WA, Kiley and Taylor Grandstaff of Fremont, NE and Amy and Travis Taylor of Erie, CO. One great-grandson, Jackson Taylor of Erie, CO.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Wilbur and Elaine Cox, in-laws, Laurence and Vera Grandstaff, stillborn son Mason Keith, and sister Nancy Gent.
Judy Grandstaff, 70, of Blue Hill, Nebraska died Thursday, October 30, 2014 at her home in Blue Hill.Funeral services will be held Monday, 10:30 a.m., November 3, 2014 at the United Methodist Church in Blue Hill with Rev. Dan Albers officiating. Interment will be at the East Lawn Cemetery in Bladen.
Visitation will be held Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. at the Williams Funeral Home in Red Cloud, and Monday, 8:0-0 a.m. to service time at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the Blue Hill Public Library Friends Foundation.
A Remebrance..........
Judy was born in a snowstorm on April 18, 1944 while her mom, Elaine, was living in Bladen with her folks. Leon, her dad, was in the service assigned to the Cannon Company, 310th Infantry. Judy’s Uncle Floyd tried to get Elaine to Hastings, but he got stuck in the snow and had to borrow a car for the rest of the trip.
The family lived in Bladen until January of 1946 when they moved to Los Angeles to rejoin Leon after the war. Leon reenlisted and the family moved to Kansas in 1950, then moved to Virginia in 1951 where he attended engineer officer candidate school. Then in 1952, they moved back to Bladen when Leon was deployed to Korea. In 1953, they resided in Olympia, Washington until moving to King City, California. In 1955, they moved to Junction City, Kansas. Later in 1955, they boarded the USS Darby and sailed to Germany where they would live for 3 years. After returning from Germany, they lived briefly in Georgia before settling in Alexandria, Virginia.
After attending numerous schools, Judy graduated from Groveton High School in Alexandria, Virginia in 1961 at the age of 17. Leon received orders to leave for Iran, so the family moved back to Bladen again. Judy attended nursing training at Mary Lanning Hospital.
She met Rollie Grandstaff, who was attending Kearney State College. They married on March 2, 1962 in Reverend Gertrude McCollum’s house in Bladen with Jerry Grandstaff and Nancy Cox serving as attendants.
They set up residence in Blue Hill, Nebraska. Jennifer Lynn was born in October of 1962 and Jahn Laurence followed in February of 1968. Mason Keith was stillborn In August of 1969.
In 1964, Kinfolk began at Judy and Rollie’s home with "Ladies Only", including Grandma Jahn and all of the aunts. Several years later, it expanded to include everyone’s family. It was held annually at Judy and Rollie’s home the Sunday before Thanksgiving for many years, until it was moved to the Blue Hill Community center. Judy loved organizing this gathering of family and friends with attendance some years surpassing 100 people.
Judy became the librarian for the Blue Hill Public Library in the fall of 1968. She spent 46 years working there and loved to tell the story of raising Jahn at the library. She served as the director of the Republican Valley Library System and also served on the board of directors of the Nebraska Library Association. She was awarded the 1997 Excalibur award which honors the career accomplishments of a public librarian. She was instrumental in the creation of the Blue Hill Public Library Friends Foundation. Judy spearheaded the fundraising for the extensive library expansion starting in 2000.
Judy was always extensively involved in the community: from helping start the Lucky 7 4-H club in the 1960’s to teaching Sunday school for many years at the United Methodist Church. She was a charter member of the Young Homemaker’s Extension Club and a long term member of the Blue Hill Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the Rebekkah Lodge and a Weight Watcher’s lecturer for many years. Judy was inducted into the Nebraska Poll Worker Hall of Fame in 2006 and served on the Webster County Election board for more than 40 years. She was also a Census taker and supervisor for the United States Census.
In 1984, Judy and Rollie and some extended family took their first trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina which was to become a favorite destination of the family. Countless trips with various family members were always memorable times treasured by Judy.
Judy loved attending her children and grandchildren’s activities, whether it was in Nebraska or Wyoming – hot or cold, indoors or out, rain or shine. She could be counted on to be the biggest fan and very recognizable as "Grandma Judy with the rat tail!"
Judy is survived by her husband, Rollie, two children, daughter Jennifer and Tim Frary of Casper, WY, son Jahn and Melinda Grandstaff of Fremont, NE; Grandson Wheaton Kremke and fiancé Ashley Carswell of Torrington, WY, granddaughters Bailey and Kyle Koster of Spokane, WA, Kiley and Taylor Grandstaff of Fremont, NE and Amy and Travis Taylor of Erie, CO. One great-grandson, Jackson Taylor of Erie, CO.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Wilbur and Elaine Cox, in-laws, Laurence and Vera Grandstaff, stillborn son Mason Keith, and sister Nancy Gent.
We are thankful for the many shared memories of Judy who was important to so many people. She would want us to have this gathering be a celebration of our families and a time to reminisce on the happy times we have spent together. We love her and will miss her always…..
Williams Funeral Home
241 West 4th Avenue
Red Cloud, Nebraska 68970
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