Judith "Judy" Atkinson

Judith "Judy" A. Atkinson, age 79, passed away peacefully early Monday morning, February 10, 2025. Judy was a pioneering, independent women who approached life fearlessly regardless of the challenges that lay before her.

Back in the mid-1970s while Judy was working one of her two jobs at Hayward State Bank, she volunteered to be the one trained in new technology called a mainframe computer. That started Judy on a long and successful career in banking technology which led her to being a vice president of a major data corporation. Throughout her career, she had to fight against sexism and have her skills challenged since she did not have a degree. But Judy demonstrated she was not one to be trifled with and blazed a path forward for many to follow.

Judy had a passion for many things including her love for God, family, friends, her many and various pets through the years, motorcycling, her 1968 Buick Skylark convertible, and traveling. She also made herself a bit famous for some of her antics including having the first (and only) documented incident of a motorcycle-motorboat collision in the State of Wisconsin and of having to have her plane taxi back to the hanger because she left her purse on the plane wing (also believed to a first and only occurrence in the history of air travel).

Judy loved horses and had them at various points in her life. She was a dog lover who never felt having one dog was sufficient. Anyone who saw her driving in the last few years always recognized her vehicle because of the life-sized photo static clings of her puppies plastered on her Jeep windows.

Judy courageously faced the many challenges life gave her. She became a single mother at an early age, working multiple jobs to ensure she had enough for her three boys. Later, she faced several life-threatening health issues and beat the odds each time. One of her happiest moments was ringing the bell on 4/22/2015, when she beat cancer that almost beat her. Judy never accepted a doctor telling her she could not get through something. She would always say, “oh yeah, watch me”. When she started dialysis seven years ago, she faced it with fierceness and eventually did her own dialysis at home.

Judy adored her family. She had three sons with her first husband, Joe Prete. Jerry, her eldest and her twins Tim and Tom, were wild and caused her to color her hair much sooner than one should have to color their hair. But she loved them and loved being a “boy mom," well, except maybe the time Tim and Tom had a talcum powder fight in the log home and when Jerry created a reputation for minor drag racing with a certain orange Dotson truck that she had to occasionally drive and was uncertain why people kept revving their engines next to her at stop lights. But, other than those two incidents (ok, maybe a few hundred), she was always happy to be the mother of three boys.

When Judy met the love of her life, Lester "Dale" Atkinson, she had the joy of adding two more children (Dale Lee and Donna) to her family. She especially loved learning how to be a “girl mom." Judy and Dale had a wonderful marriage and loved to travel, go on motorcycle rides, be on the lake, and just have fun together. Dale preceded her in death in 2010.

In Judy’s last phase of her life, she was able to travel with her sister, Mary, taking many cruises and adventures around the country. The two were happy as long as they had a bottle of wine (or two) at the end of each day on their journeys.

Judy was fortunate to find friendship and partnership again and spent 10 years with Keith Wright and his family, living on his farm and enjoying life in the country and developing a new community of friends and family in Ferryville and at Utica Lutheran Church. Keith preceded her in death in November 2024.

Her greatest joy was in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Although due to distance, she did not get to see them as often as she liked, she was known to go on, and on, (and on) about the remarkable things her grand- and great-grandchildren were up to. Although she seemed to never get her own children’s name straight, she could recite her grand- and great-grandchildren’s name by heart.

When Judy had serious health issues in May 2024, she came to live with her son Tom and his wife Kathy and their two youngest boys. Judy faced a series of challenges but was eventually able to move into her own apartment two blocks away and again form a new community of friends. Although she faced multiple hospital and nursing home rehab stays, she always remained positive that she was going to get better (and did several times).

Judy wished to express her deep gratitude to her many health care providers, including at Mayo Clinic in La Crosse and Onalaska, Findley Hospital in Dubuque, Tri-State Dialysis in Platteville, and Edenbrook in Platteville. Her family is also grateful for the compassionate and skilled care provided to her throughout her life, especially this past last year. We are especially grateful to the team at Edenbrook who treated her like their own mother. Judy also wished to express her deep gratitude to her daughter-in-law, Kathy Prete, who provided so much care and support to her both during her cancer treatments in 2014, and from May 2024, until Judy’s passing.

Judy is survived by her children: Jerry (Dawn) Prete, Tim (Anne) Prete, Tom (Kathy) Prete, Dale Atkinson, and Donna (Paul) Myers; her sister Mary; her many grand and great-grandchildren; and so many dear friends from each phase of her life including in the Stone Lake/Hayward, Spooner, Osceola, Sparta, Ferryville, and Cuba City areas.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at Utica Lutheran Church, 14974 WI-27, Ferryville. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service with a luncheon to follow in the church basement.

In lieu of flowers or a donation, Judy had asked that people instead donate to their local church or to a pet rescue/shelter.

For those unable to attend, the link to watch Judy's memorial service via Facebook Live is here .

Vosseteig Funeral Home & Crematory in Gays Mills is serving Judy's family.

325 Sunset Ridge Avenue

Gays Mills, WI 54631

(608) 735-2100