Judith “Judy” Strother Kruithof was born on June 2, 1947, in San Diego, California. Her father was serving in the Navy. Judy was raised in Wake Village, Texas, with her sister Betsy. Judy’s father worked at the post office in town but also raised strawberries as a hobby. Judy had wonderful, fond memories of her and her sister riding their bicycles with the baskets on them filled with strawberries selling them around the neighborhood.
Judy went to college at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where she received her bachelor’s degree. This is also where she met her husband Ken. They married in May of 1969. They moved to Bossier City where Ken grew up and both began their teaching careers. Judy’s first teaching position was at Elm Grove Junior High teaching Louisiana History. Judy always thought it was funny that she grew up in Texas, went to college in Arkansas and then ended up teaching Louisiana History. She talked about having to come home and ask Ken how to pronounce Louisiana words so she could teach her students. Both Judy and Ken went on to receive their Master’s degrees from Louisiana State University and other degrees from various institutes.
In 1973, after working for a few years, Ken and Judy adopted their first baby, a son they named Kevin. In 1975, they adopted a baby girl they named Kelly. Judy loved her children with her whole heart. She was very proud of them and proud to be their mother. Her family was the center of her world. Judy took time off from teaching to raise children. When she returned to teaching, she took a position at Parkway High School. She spent a total of 35 ½ years in Bossier Parish. Judy loved teaching. She taught keyboarding, IBCA and was also the yearbook and C.O.E. sponsor for several years. Judy was a Parkway Panther through and through. She also taught graduate classes for BPCC, LSUS and LA Tech.
Both of her children married and had children of their own. Kevin had a daughter named Vivian and a son named Ethan. Kelly had a daughter named Beth Ann.
Grandchildren then became the center of Judy’s world. She was an amazing grandmother. She had many special memories of summers spent at Caddo Gap with her husband, her children, her parents and her sister and her family. Later in life, summers were spent visiting Disneyland and Santa Cruz, California with her husband, children and grandchildren.
Judy was also very involved in her church, Calvary Baptist. She taught vacation bible school each summer, sang in the church choir and spent time teaching Sunday School. She and Ken were also involved in the youth department at their church.
On December 21, 2011, Judy had a heart attack and was left with an anoxic brain injury. This left her wheelchair bound and with little memory. She fought through the affects for almost exactly ten years. Ken never left her side. He took care of her day in and day out; the total definition of “in sickness and in health”. Jesus called Judy home on December 13, 2021. Judy is no longer wheelchair bound and is WALKING with Jesus and her family takes comfort in knowing this.
