Obituary: Judith A. Menke

Obituary was published and funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory​.

Judith A. Menke

Judith “Judy” A. Menke, 86, passed away in October 2026 in the Chicago area, leaving behind three daughters, her grandchildren, several beloved rescue grand-kittens, and a lifetime of memories, adventures, and some truly extraordinary cinnamon rolls.

Born in Iowa in 1940 and raised in the small town of Thompson, Judy developed an early curiosity about the world beyond the cornfields where she spent teenage summers detasseling corn. After completing nursing training at St. Mary’s Hospital, affiliated with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, she set off to explore that world.

By the mid-1960s, she was living in New York City, sharing an Upper East Side apartment with other young women, working as a nurse at Bellevue Hospital, and flying around the world as a flight attendant for TWA. Her adventures included evenings in Greenwich Village listening to a young Bob Dylan and, on one memorable occasion, getting stuck in an elevator with Johnny Cash.

She eventually returned to Minnesota, where she met her future husband on a ski trip somewhere “out West”—precisely where remains a family mystery.

Marriage and three daughters followed, including two born less than a year apart. Over the years, Judy logged thousands of miles driving her daughters to school, sports practices, and countless activities, often juggling those responsibilities with her work as a nurse.

She baked the world’s finest cinnamon rolls and generously joined her family on camping trips, despite being considerably more of a Ritz-Carlton kind of woman. When her husband wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail, she was perfectly content to let him go without her.

Judy enjoyed classical music and outings to the Minnesota Orchestra, spirited games of bingo, cards, and occasional visits to the casino. She had a particular fondness for chocolate, her homemade scotcharoos, Dairy Queen, root beer floats, and a good old-fashioned hamburger.

In her younger years, Judy had a remarkable sense of style and a love of beautiful clothes. As little girls, her daughters delighted in exploring her extraordinary closet, dressing up in her clothes and imagining themselves every bit as glamorous as their mother. She enjoyed looking her best and was, for many years, a familiar face at Divas, her favorite salon.

A faithful Catholic, Judy gave generously to causes close to her heart. She had a fondness for animals and eventually welcomed a cat of her own into the family. She enjoyed her grandchildren and made an effort to share in her daughters’ interests, even attempting to develop an appreciation for football, with somewhat limited success.

Judy was quiet and unassuming, with an understated elegance and a knack for finding herself in remarkable situations. Though she had traveled the world and collected extraordinary stories along the way, she rarely made much fuss about any of it.

She lived a life that took her from the cornfields of Iowa to the streets of Manhattan and the skies above the Atlantic, collecting experiences she rarely thought to mention and memories her daughters are still discovering.

And, of course, those cinnamon rolls.

Judy is survived by her three daughters, Elizabeth Menke, Terryl (Teri) Menke, and Jennifer Twyman; her sons-in-law, Gary Kline and Ken Twyman; her grandchildren, George and Grace Lord, Ava and Ashlyn Twyman; her sister, Mary Post; and several beloved rescue grand-kittens.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lucy and Leonard Anderson; her brothers, Robert, Joseph, and Larry Anderson; and her sisters, Joan Heinz and Sandra Peterson.

Visitation for Judith A. Menke will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until the time of prayers at 10:00 a.m., at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Rd. (at Essington Rd.), Joliet, IL, to St. Mary Immaculate, 15627 Illinois Rt. 59, Plainfield, IL, where a mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m.Interment will follow at Risen Lord Cemetery, Oswego, IL.

For more information please call 815-741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute page at www.fredcdames.com where you can share a favorite memory or leave an online condolence.

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