Send a Sympathy Card
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Starts at 11:00 am (Eastern time)
Bay, Judith Ann nee Reichenbach Passed away on March 30th, 2017 Judy was born on September 30th, 1938 in Milwaukee to Henry and Margaret Reichenbach nee Meyers. She married Gerry on August 31st, 1963. Gerry and Judy raised four children Kathy, Patti (Sam), Robert, and Derrick (Amy). In addition, she was a Grandmother to nine grandchildren Ann Marie, Drew, Kathryn, Sammy, Alex, Alli, Charlie, Michael, and Zachary. She is further survived by one brother, Henry Reichenbach (Joann), brother-in-law Jerry Knip, sister-in-law Judy D Bay, nieces, nephews, other relatives, friends and her cat, George. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be sent to one of the following: Bishop Parsons Scholarship Fund Nashotah House Theological Seminary 2777 Mission Road Nashotah, Wisconsin 53018 or Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) 701 Northview Road P.O. 834 Waukesha, Wisconsin 53187-0834 Friends are invited to attend the ceremonies as follows: Saturday, April 8, 2017 Funeral11:00 AM St. John's Chrysostom Episcopal Church (Little Red Church on the Hill) 1111 Genesee Street Delafield, Wisconsin 53018 Burial Service12:15 PM Nashotah House Theological Seminary Cemetery 2777 Mission Road Nashotah, Wisconsin 53018 Reception1:00 – 3:30 PM Nashotah House Theological Seminary Refectory 2777 Mission Road Nashotah, Wisconsin 53018 A brief story of the magnificent Judith Ann Bay…. Judith Ann Bay, known as Judy to friends and family, was a wife who Dad said he loved more and more as they shared their lives together. Mom was a person of many talents who “never knew a stranger” as Father Henery, her parish priest of many years had said due to her kind, cheery, humorous, and generous ways. To her family she provided continual support emotionally even the night she suffered a major heart attack and was received to her eternal home with our Lord. Judy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin September 30th, 1938. She was daughter to Henry and Margaret. Her Dad was a foreman at Allis Chalmers and her Mom a caring homemaker generous in kindness. She had an older sister Mary and a younger brother Henry. Their childhood home was on 810 South 32nd street, her Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Grandpa and Grandma lived on the ground floor with her Uncle Arthur. The second floor was the apartment where Mom and her family lived. She attended St. Matthew's Parochial School in Milwaukee until she graduated from the eighth grade in 1953. Judy attended Pius High School in Milwaukee from 1953-1957. She was crowned “Penny Queen” at one of her school’s big dances. This was an exciting event followed by an even bigger surprise when Life magazine published a picture of her calling home to inform her parents about it!! In the winter of 1956 her family moved to a newly built home on 65th and Allerton Ave in Greenfield, WI. During High School, she worked at a Fannie Farmer chocolate shop. During that time a tragic event happened which she never would forget. A thief robbed the store while holding her and co-workers at gunpoint. She would retell this story many times over the years. After graduating from high school, she moved back to the apartment at 810 S. 32nd Street. She shared this apartment with her friend Bobbie. She attended Marquette Dental School where she achieved her degree for dental assistant. Rather than pursuing this line of work; an opportunity to work at Allen Bradley became available. She applied her skills and smarts and quickly earned the title of foreman in the coil winding department. At age 25 one of her cousins, Freddy, introduced her to his friend named Gerry Bay. Soon after meeting they were engaged and were eventually wed on August 31st, 1963. He is the man who continued as her lifelong love, friend, husband, and father of their four children. They were married for more than 53 years. A longtime friend and neighbor Matilda lived in a house adjacent to her family’s cottage. She decided to offer Judy and Gerry the chance to purchase her house. This home is where they raised their children and became her lifelong home. Incidentally, Matilda was the person who taught Judy how to bake. She spent many afternoons in Matilda’s kitchen. Judy and Gerry wasted no time. In November of 1964, their first daughter Kathleen was born followed by Patricia in February of 1966, Robert in November of 1967 and Derrick in June of 1969. Her love of her children was evident in so many ways. She involved herself with her own children and their classmates. She was a treasurer at her children's nursery school, helped with after-school activities as a den mother for Cub Scouts and was a troop leader for Brownies. She poured her love and joy into these activities without reservation. Meals shared with family was a regularity. She was an excellent cook and baker. Helping support her family, she extended her skills to bake and decorate a variety of cakes, the most extraordinary of which were wedding cakes. We aren’t certain of how many wedding cakes she made, although she took pictures to share with people referred to her by word of mouth from other happy couples. Her birthday cakes were the best! She didn't only make the cake flavor you like best; she made cakes to show the birthday recipient’s tastes. She also made cakes shaped as a cross helping families celebrate first communion. The wedding cakes and the birthday cakes were well celebrated by these friends and family. Although one cake style seemed to get greater attention. This was known as the boob cake. It was due to the proceeds from her cake making that she could travel to France for the first time in 1984. Her tailoring skills were significant. Using her singer sewing table she made custom dresses, allowing her daughters to choose the dress design they liked best. She made Halloween costumes and large, cozy, fuzzy floor pillows to help her kids enjoy television shows together. She even made summertime shirts for her boys. She mended all manner of tears in clothes, and made other fun stuff likely unmentioned here. She also worked at the Delafield coffee shop as a waitress to help support her family. On a few Friday evenings, after the shop closed for the day, we had disco dance nights. Tables were moved aside to allow for dancing, while pizza and soda were readily available. Attempts at Saturday night fever style dance moves were memorable fun during this era of disco music. While her children were at classes in junior high; she further developed her cooking skills by taking classes at WCTI, currently known as WCTC, in Waukesha with her good friend Betty. This meant samples of foods deliciously distinct in cultural quality. It also meant delicious, well mostly delicious! treats after school. Many of the favorites her children chose from these after-school taste tests, she used to make future meals for the family to enjoy. She created quite a sophisticated palate in her family!! Judy was an excellent hostess. Summer times were filled with visits at the next-door cottage that inevitably became visits to her home. Visits from her sister, brother, cousins, and friends’ families, resulted in very hungry people wanting to share meals together. Mom accepted this challenge and helped by making homemade foods helping feed these hungry summertime visitors. Some of the crowd favorites, were her homemade potato salad, grilled chicken, pork chops, and cucumbers with sour cream salad. She kept a generous supply of swimming towels and extra swimming suits to accommodate the swimmers. Judy spent many times out on the lake swimming on the raft with children and family. This was always a relief from the labor of love feeding so many people! As her children entered high school and were not in need of taxiing to school events, visits with friends, roller skating outings and any number of other interests they pursued; she educated herself in upholstery at WCTI. She applied her skills and reupholstered chairs which are still in her home today. In high school, Judy’s oldest daughter Kathy befriended Benoit, a foreign exchange student from France. Because of this friendship, Benoit was invited to live with Judy and Gerry’s family on Lake Nemahbin. He returned for many summers and became like part of the family. Judy became Benoit’s U.S.A. Mom. Each of her children went on to college and earned degrees, and advanced degrees. She would frequently let us know how proud she was and shared this pride with her friends. Through her neighbors she was made aware of an opportunity to take on the largest challenge of her culinary experience that would carry her through to retirement. She prepared for this work once again at WCTI earning a certificate in facility kitchen management. The kitchen was at the Nashotah House Theological Seminary where she made great friendships with seminarians, priests, and staff. She also found and tamed a stray cat she named Molly, who she eventually adopted and brought home to live with her. She always had a soft spot in her heart for animals, both wild and domestic. As this work became her regular endeavor, grandchildren were coming into her life. Kathy and Deron, married at that time, had a son and daughter, Andrew and Allison. Patti married Sam Baumgartner, they had two sons Samuel and Charles. Robert married Mary, they had two daughters named Ann Marie and Kathryn. Her son Derrick married Amy, they had three sons named Alexander, Michael, and Zachary. She was overjoyed at having grandchildren in her life! She helped care for her grandchildren with visits to her children’s homes allowing the parents to have some fun time to themselves. Visits to their homes weren’t uncommon. There were times that she helped by enrolling the grandchildren in “the little angels” Nashotah House day care. Holiday times were a time for the regular genius of Mom’s meals. The sign in Mom and Dad’s house was; Eat, Drink and be quiet. Her meals were so good it was easy to keep busy eating! Everyone was excited to eat her meals at the holidays. Christmas was Mom’s chance to make a dozen or so variety of cookies and candies like fairy food, English toffee, fudge and caramels. She made miniature cookies so she could make small tins or foil wrapper bags filled with them to give as gifts to family and friends. Although there were some regular recipes she made, it seems that every year she’d try two or three new recipes. She very likely made hundreds of varieties of cookies during her lifetime. Her work at the Refectory involved preparing meals 5 days a week for the seminarians and preparing for and catering events such as Nashotah House community dinners. She would routinely arrive at 5 AM and finish midafternoon. That was the weekly routine. She was also called upon for special weekend gatherings such as visits from Clergy and parties for seminarians graduating to the priesthood. She catered two major personal events on Nashotah House grounds: the wedding receptions for her daughter Patti (wed to Sam in 1995) and Derrick (wed to Amy in 1998). Her worked spanned over 12 years at Nashotah House. Judy loved traveling. She attended weddings of relatives and friends in Texas, Louisiana and, of course, Benoit’s in France. She traveled to Dublin with Kathy to search for clues to a line of her family's heritage. Her daughter Patti married Sam, who was a native of Switzerland. After Patti and Sam moved to Switzerland, and had a family, Judy (and Gerry) visited them several times over the eight years they lived there. Judy would visit her son Derrick and his wife Amy and their kids when they lived in Texas. A few years ago, Derrick and family moved back to Wisconsin to be near his Mom and Dad. She loved having more time with them! She also made trips to visit Kathleen, Deron, Andrew and Alison in Illinois helping care for them. Mom adored them! Rob will always keep Mom's humor and patient kindness in his heart grateful for the love she so consistently shared with Ann Marie, Kathryn and their Mom. She was a surrogate Mother and Grandmother to Jennifer and Maggie. She had many “adopted” children over the years, too many to name. Her heart was full of love for all…. In the last few years, the community at St. John’s Chrysostom Church has become an ever more important source of friendship and spiritual support in Judy’s life. Included in this community was the Thrift Shop at the church. Judy looked forward each week to volunteering at the Thrift Shop, bringing baked goodies to share and having fun with her friends. She was a skilled card player; she especially loved to play cribbage with family and friends. Some would say she had the luck of the Irish. A life well-lived can’t be summed up in a few words…. We know there are many, many stories that those who knew her could share about her life. Our family would be grateful for any stories that could be shared about Judy, please feel free to add them…. Judy Ann Bay... We miss you and will always love you!! You are the greatest Wife, Mom, Grandma, Sister, Aunt and Friend... We ask that each time a critter crosses your path, whether it’s a bird, a chipmunk, a squirrel or a raccoon that you think of Mom and smile…. Text written by Rob, with contributions by Patti, Derrick and Kathy, and approved by Dad.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Starts at 11:00 am (Eastern time)
St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church
Visits: 2
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors