Judith Ann Skomars

Judy Skomars, age 79, passed away peacefully on November 6, 2017 due to complications from COPD and Alzheimer’s. Judy was born on March 2, 1938 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the daughter of the late Edward and Gertrude Fredrick. In addition, Judy has two sisters, Sandy Bolan and the late Marilynne Tannone. Judy is survived by her husband of 56 years, Warner Skomars and her two children, Brigadier General Chris Skomars and his wife Karen, Wendy Sonsire and her husband Craig, and her beloved grandchildren.

As we thought about what Judy would want you to know and remember about her, the following thoughts come to mind. She was very bright, she was dedicated to her career but most of all, she loved her family and friends. Though there will not be a service offered for the public, we invite you to share a memory and/or funny story about Judy on this memorial page which will be made into a memory book for the family. Please feel free to share photos as well.

Judy had a brilliant mind and she valued education. She graduated from Beloit College in Wisconsin, which she proudly called ‘the Harvard of the Midwest.’ While there, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and earned a Fulbright scholarship to Argentina. Judy continued her education at Boston College in Massachusetts where she studied psychology and was just her dissertation short of her PhD. Her passion was working with children and she made a difference in so many lives.

For the majority of her professional life Judy was a child psychologist. Though Judy was very proud, she was humble about sharing the extent to which she had really impacted the kids with whom she worked. Her colleagues have always told us she was one of the best psychologists they had worked with because she treated each child and their families with understanding and respect.

Though she had an esteemed career, she would say her greatest accomplishment was her family. Judy and Warner met and fell in love in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They started their family in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. Their journey brought them to Medfield, Massachusetts, where they raised their children, then to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they spent their empty nest years (though they didn’t escape because they received frequent visits from the family!) and finally to Charlotte, NC.

Judy’s family and friends will always remember her for her intelligence, creativity, thoughtfulness, quick wit and her overall strength. Her generosity cannot be overlooked as she always shared her video poker winnings with her grandsons. Receiving a ‘Benjamin’ from Gramma always marked a good day! While very generous, she never met a Wendy’s dollar menu that she didn’t like and the whole family was encouraged to participate in dollar menu ordering!

As full of love as her heart was, her refrigerator was even fuller! She would make ‘a few ribs,’ oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by the dozen, ‘tuna crap’ by the quart, homemade empanadas by the tray and, of course, crabby patties and mimosas for holiday breakfasts. Rest assured, Judy had a plan and a schedule, whether it was for travel, events or meals – no detail was missed. We learned so much from her organizational skills.

Judy brought humor and fun to everything she did. Whether she served her grandsons ice cream for breakfast, played Cootie in Spanish, gave the annual Christmas gift of boxers from Santa Crotch or posted a list of rules including ‘Put the Toilet Seat Down’ and ending with ‘Have Fun, Dammit’ she always made us laugh and did everything she could to make us feel special.

Judy suffered from COPD and Alzheimer’s and though her family and friends will miss her more that words can express, her impact on them and the world around her will never be forgotten. She always said she was the ‘eye in the sky’ – now perhaps she really is!

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you support the fight against Alzheimer’s by clicking this link -

http://act.alz.org/goto/Judy_Skomars

Arrangements under the direction of McEwen Funeral Services, Charlotte, NC.