Judy Patchin
May 26, 1946 — April 04, 2025
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Service Details
Judith Kay Patchin, 78, of Altoona, Iowa, passed away on April 4, 2025, at Prairie Vista Village. She was born on May 26, 1946, in Peoria, Illinois, to James and Amber (Threw) LeMaster.
Judy is survived by her loving husband, Wayne, and their children: John (Trisha) Patchin, Jeffrey (Kristen) Patchin, and Douglas (Jennifer) Patchin. She was deeply loved by her grandchildren: Danielle Turner, Stevie (Tyler) Ziem, Scott Patchin, Sophia and Eliza Patchin, and Drew and Tyler Patchin, as well as her great-grandchildren, Beckett and Raena Ziem. She was a cherished sister to the late James (Nanci) LeMaster and sister-in-law to the late Elaine (Carl) Hoffman.
Judy graduated from Peoria High School and went on to earn a B.S. in Home Economics Education from Western Illinois University, followed by an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois. She dedicated many years to teaching middle school Home Economics and Early Childhood Development at a local community college.
Judy was an active member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) throughout her life, serving in various roles at Glen Oak Christian Church in Peoria, First Christian Church in Moline, and Altoona Christian Church. She was a dedicated Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School leader, Bible study participant, and committee leader.
In addition to her faith, Judy was artistically gifted, with passions for flower arranging, interior decorating, seasonal decorations, fine china painting, and scrapbooking. She enjoyed traveling with her family and friends, visiting all 50 states, much of the world, and five continents. As a devoted home economics teacher, Judy had a strong passion for educating others, a passion she continued to pursue even after retirement. In her later years, she found great joy in spending time with her grandchildren and her close-knit group of girlfriends.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Ankeny Christian Church, 2506 SW 3rd Place, Ankeny, Iowa. A funeral service will follow at 5:30 p.m. The service will be available for livestream via the Ankeny Christian Church Facebook page or YouTube channel.
The family requests any donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Judy’s memory.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.hamiltonsfuneralhome.com.
Connie Wilson
04/10/2025
My own father suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and I know it is a very sad thing to suffer through the long slow fade to black. I'm sure Judy handled it better than 99% of victims do, but it is not how I will remember her, which I will do for the rest of my life.
We started our teaching careers together at Silvis in 1969-1970. I didn't see any mention of those years, but I can understand why, given my own years spent there (1969-1985). She had me come and speak at some of her Early Childhood classes at Black Hawk Junior College after that, as I had left Silvis, too (Judy left when she got married to Wayne) and was then founding and running the second Sylvan Learning Center in the state, in Bettendorf (Iowa).
I remember vividly that there was a time when Judy asked me to sign up for her sewing class, (adult education) as she just needed one more student to make it a "go" or it would be canceled. I, of course, had none of Judy's sewing talent (or other such gifts) and had flunked sewing 2 times previously AND the first meeting was the very night of the tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King: September 20, 1973. The class was being held at Silvis Junior High School, where we both taught for many years, and I agreed to join IF I could bring my small black-and-white TV set so we could watch this historic match, dubbed "the Battle of the Sexes." Judy agreed, and I took my small blue plastic set with me to the first class.
At the moment of truth, when we plugged it in, it blew out all the fuses and circuits in the never-top-notch facility (Silvis Jr High) and Judy had to cancel the class and send everyone home. Needless to say, that was not the desired effect. I continued to do my usual horrible job in the class and, as I completed the dress I had sewed, I drove directly to the Salvation Army Good Will Box on 7th Street and threw the lavendar-and-white monstrosity in. There were other such moments in our long friendship and I only regret that the last time I was able to see her, in person, was 2019, the same weekend that our dear friend Nelson (Peterson) passed away. There were so many things that Judy was good at (and I wasn't) and so many ways she tried to help me, even when the task (sewing) was apparently not going to be one I would ever master. (She came to my house and attempted to teach me one-on-one, but I was hopeless.) I have so many fond memories of my friendship with Judy over the years, and I will cherish them forever.