Judith Ann Reichard was born on March 18, 1948, in Morrill, Nebraska, to Dave and Sarah Reichard.  She was one of three children; her brother Don was the oldest, her sister Violet was the middle child, and Judy was the youngest.

Judy showed her business skills at age 15 when she started a kennel where she would breed and board dogs.  She met her first husband, Eugene Smith, when he came into the kennel to purchase a new puppy.  They had been dating for several years when they married in Morrill, Nebraska, where they made their first home together.  They soon expanded their family with two sons, Edward Eugene, born July 21, 1965, and Michael Eugene, born July 7, 1968.

In the 1970s, the family moved to Stanton, California to provide their son Eddie with the opportunity to attend a school for the deaf.  Judy spent several years traveling to Los Angeles to the John Tracy Clinic, seeking care and education for her son.  This is also where she and her son both began learning sign language to communicate with each other.  

The family then moved to Claremont, California, and opened a radiator repair shop in Montclair.  Judy was the office manager and the pickup and delivery person.  Eventually, the entire family worked at the shop.

Judy separated from her husband and bought some property in Warner Springs, California.  She called the property her J E M Ranch.  The initials stood for Judy, Ed, and Mike.  She went to work at a resort ranch as their Events Coordinator.  Since the resort also sold the surrounding property, Judy studied and obtained her real estate license and became a real estate agent.  It was during this time that she met Walter Krausie.  

After living a short time in Anaheim, California, Judy moved to Wrightwood, California, where she married Walter Krausie on September 11, 2004, at the Mountain High Ski resort.  She continued working as a realtor in the Wrightwood area and was a caregiver for an elderly man she stayed with during the day.  

Judy’s favorite hobbies were collecting antiques at garage sales and gardening.  She loved to grow everything from flowers to vegetables.

Judy was a loving wife to two husbands and a loving mother to two sons.  She always put others first in her life.  She was a strong, hard-working woman who got things done.  She loved animals of all sizes and shapes and considered them like family.

She was a friend you could always depend on.  If you needed her, she would drop everything and be there for you.  She was a wonderful wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  She will be dearly missed.

She is survived by her two sons, Ed and Mike, and her sister Violet.  Eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Memorial services were held at Desert View Funeral Home at 11478 Amargosa Road in Victorville on July 23, 2022.