JUDITH ANN LANOUE

Judith Ann Lanoue, passed away on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at Welia Health in Mora.  She was 87 years old.

A woman who cared for so many over her lifetime, Judith Ann was born to Bernard and Alice Schulte in the winter of 1935. The eldest of eight children, she helped raise those younger siblings and worked alongside her dad in the barn and fields on the prairie farm land near Gary, South Dakota. A lifelong Roman Catholic, she loved singing in church, and she and her two sisters grouped to sing at events in the teen years. Music was in the farmhouse, too, on certain fun nights when the parlor rug was rolled up for the dance floor, Alice playing the piano and Bernard on the fiddle.

Following her graduation from Gary High, Judy was working in the Red Owl Grocery Store when a young man kept stopping in and playing pranks on her. The courting continued for two years with fishing trips and such, then on May 4, 1957 she was united in marriage to that Gary man, Herbert Hunt. It was a double ceremony with sister Frances and Elmer Fritz, and that strengthened a bond between those four which lasted their entire lives. While living in Gary and running a butcher shop, Herb and Judy had three children: Gail Lynn, Gwendolyn Marie and Gregory John.

When the business went under, the Hunts pulled up stakes and moved to Stanchfield, Minnesota, trading the prairie for woods and swamps. Judy worked a couple different jobs before latching on with Control Data in Cambridge. That crew put on great potlucks, and she loved making treats for them. Judy also joined the super-fun and successful Braham Tap bowling team, and she continued bowling well into her 70’s, enjoying traveling to many state and national tournaments over the years. Hosting and going to card nights with friends was more entertainment for Herb and Judy, particularly with Clem and Arlotte Miller’s group of Princeton.

Judy loved nature and was a life-long bird feeder which included hanging oranges out for orioles each spring, and cardinal sightings were always special because red was her favorite color. Bird feeders were always up at the homes in Stanchfield, Blaine and Brunswick. A persistent fisherwoman who put in her time on the water and ice, she also joined Herb and Greg in the woods for deer hunting, bringing home a couple of forkhorn bucks. In their later ages, a good trip for Herb and Judy was pulling the pop-up camper to several state forest campgrounds. Savanna Portage with its hiking trails earned repeat visits.

Herb died in 2006, and Judy remarried Robert “Bob” Lanoue of Mora in 2009, adding a special new family to get to know and love. Bob’s place across the river from town kept her surrounded by nature. Along with the bird feeders outside the sunroom, there was a pheasant meadow and an enclosed deer stand to the north which she comfortably used for her last hunts. Bob and Judy were active with St. Mary’s Catholic Church and enjoyed several trips while their health allowed, including one to Toronto for a special Knights of Columbus gathering. The two dutifully attended many grandkid games and concerts. In the last years, Bob and Judy were cared for by the great team at St. Clare’s Living Community in Mora, with Bob passing away in 2021. Fran and Elmer also passed away in 2021, all of which hit her very hard. Her last big trip was making Gary’s 150th Celebration this past Fourth of July weekend, beaming with pride at the parade and All-School Reunion. She loved that town.

Service was a huge part of Judy’s life the past decades. Along with church events, she volunteered for many pancake breakfasts with the Braham VFW Auxiliary and digging dirt with the eclectic Braham Garden Club. She helped care for and raise all her grandchildren. She loved God, her Catholic Church, family reunions and laughing.

Judith was preceded in death by her parents Bernard and Alice (Kenyon) Schulte; first husband Herbert Hunt; second husband Robert Lanoue; brothers, Don, Gene, Paul, and Richard Schulte; sisters, Frances Fritz and Cecile McInerny.

She is survived by her children, Gail Hunt, Gwendolyn Williams, and Gregory (Jennifer) Hunt; grandchildren, Adam, Gage, Drew, Inez, Austin, and Anthony; great grandchildren, Madison, Carter, William, Dax, Daisy, Dixie, Harley, Trinity, Diontae, Sophia, Sierra, and Dean; brother John "JB" (Carolyn) Schulte; sisters-in-law, Diane Schulte, Ellen BeKaert, and Judy Schulte; All of the Robert Lanoue children and their families; as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, November 11, 2022 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mora with Fr Derek Wiechmann officiating. 

Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the service at the church.

Rosary will be held at 9:45am on Friday at the church.

Interment will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at the Grandview Cemetery in Gary, South Dakota

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