On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, Judy (Michels) Lawrence of Glenview, Illinois passed at the age of 76 in her home surrounded by her loving family.

Mom was born in Olney, IL on June 8, 1942, and attended East Richland High School and Deaconess Nursing School. She moved many times over the decades from Illinois to Wisconsin to Virginia and back to Illinois, raising her children while working full-time as a nurse.

She was a great lover of animals and supported Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, both financially and with volunteer time, creating many happy memories there.

She loved the Chicago Botanic Garden and enjoyed it often with family and friends, particularly her grandsons.

Mom knew first-hand that experiences were more important than things and made sure her family vacationed at Sundance Resort almost every year for twenty years. She loved to ride horses, hike to Stewart Falls, take the chair lift, and enjoy dinners at the Foundry Grill with a bit too much wine — which was exactly 1.5 glasses. Many people believe Robert Redford is wealthy because of his acting career or the Sundance Film Festival. Nope... it’s from our vacations. You can thank Mom, Bob.

Even so, besides experiences there were a few “things” she really liked. She bestowed upon her entire family a great love of shoes. Ever wonder how Nordstrom stays in the black? Mom. We should have bought stock.

Mom was loved for her kindness and compassion, along with her wit and sense of humor.

More than anything, Mom was able to touch thousands of lives through her 50+ year career as a nurse, particularly the 34 years she spent as a hospice nurse. She worked in hospice until March 2019. If you live on the North Shore, Mom probably took care of your mom, dad, sister, brother, son, daughter, or family member. Everyone knew her, and everyone will miss her.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Ruth Michels, her father, Henry Edmund Myrl “Moon” Michels, and her brother Jerry Michels of Calhoun and Olney, IL. Judy is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Andrea (Lawrence) and Jon Nordgren of Arvada, CO; daughter Alison Lawrence of Glenview, IL; and son and daughter-in-law, Ryan Lawrence and Ashley McMahon of Denver, CO; her grandsons, Luke Nordgren, 19, of Arvada, CO and Erik Nordgren, 22, of New York, NY; her brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Kathy Michels of Olney, IL; her sister-in-law, Sue Michels, of Olney, IL; and many nephews and nieces.

She will also be missed by her vast amount of friends, fans, and patients’ families throughout North Shore Health System and the hospice network she served. If you made it this far, she’d like you to know: life is short so tell your people you love them.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her memory to Best Friends Animal Society online at: https://bestfriends.org/donate/make-gift-memory or
Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab, UT 84741-5000

Information received from Judy's brother, Jim Michels - May 19, 2019