Judith Carrie Rarick

Judith "Judy" Carrie Rarick, age 88, formerly of Augusta passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, November 3, 2024.

Judith Carrie Houser Rarick entered this world on January 23, 1936, during a blustery snowstorm at home on N. 6th Street, Bellwood, Pennsylvania. Born to parents Daniel Webster Houser and Marian Lela (Cramer) Houser, she joined her sister Louise and brother Eugene.

Following high school, Judy married her high school sweetheart Bill (William R.) Rarick on August 19, 1953. A week after their marriage, Bill was sent to Africa for the Air Force for a year, while Judy stayed in Bellwood with her parents and worked. Upon his return to the United States, they were ultimately posted to Rapid City, South Dakota, where their daughter Linda Ann (Jones Warner) was born. Following Bill’s release from the USAF, Bill and Judy moved to the Michigan area of Battle Creek where Bill was employed at the Veteran’s Hospital as an electrician. Daughter Bonnie Lea (Randall Rickard) joined the family there. Bill and Judy built a home in Augusta, where their daughters attended school and grew up. Judy was a busy mother and housewife while Bill continued his career at the VA. After Bill’s untimely death due to illness in 1989, Judy remained at her home until 2019 when she moved to Niles, Michigan to be closer to her daughters, living first in Assisted Living and then in Memory Care, followed by Hospice in 2024.

In addition to her two daughters & son-in-law, Mark Rickard, Judy is survived by her three grandchildren and their children: Nicholas W. Jones (wife Missy) and daughter Ellie, Wende L. Beedle (husband Chris, deceased), and D. Adam Randall (wife Nicole) and son Dylan and daughter Natalie. Also joining the Jones family are great-grandchildren Emilee, Luke, Aiden and Rachel Koerner. She had several other bonus grandchildren through marriages from the Warner and Rickard families as well. Judy is also survived by son-in-law Jeff Jones.

Judy was predeceased by her husband Bill, her parents Web and Marian Houser, her brother Eugene and wife Marlene Houser, her sister Louise and husband Bob Donlan, her son-in-law Joe Warner, her grandson-in-law Chris Beedle and numerous nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and many special and dear friends.

Judy was known for being a friendly, nice lady with a beautiful smile. She was a talented person who enjoyed a variety of arts– ceramics, knitting, reading, needlepoint, and stitching beautiful beaded cross stitch ornaments and pictures. For many years she taught ceramics in her downstairs studio to many neighbors, friends and football mothers. She loved feeding and watching her birds – and they loved her as she had several hummers, cardinals, bluebirds and others stopping by often. Judy was an avid reader, enjoyed her first computer at 50 years old learning to design beautiful cards she sent to a wide variety of friends and family over the year. Judy golfed in a senior league after learning to golf in her 50’s and bowled with her son-in-law Jeff Jones in a winter league. She and her daughter Linda enjoyed taking genealogy classes and traveled back to Pennsylvania to research their heritage, getting together often to continue the search for elusive relatives!

Following Bill’s death, she became involved with the Good Samaritan Hospice group in Battle Creek, giving of her time for over twenty years as a bereavement volunteer, working with people who had recently lost their spouse. She would contact them to share information and comfort, send cards, visit and invite them to a monthly social lunch where she would host and make each new person feel welcome. She received several volunteer awards during that time and continued to take training seminars to do this important work. Judy enjoyed traveling with family members, visiting family in Pennsylvania and living in Florida for several winters with her mother and sister Louise and husband Bob. Of special note were flying the grands to Florida where she enjoyed a visit with each at favorite spots (Disney World and Universal). She loved having Wende and Adam for overnight visits where they all enjoyed the swimming pool and going downtown Augusta for ice cream. She cared for Nick in his young age and they had several adventures together. She also enjoyed her neighborhood friends (the Beadle’s, Hollaway’s, Linhart’s, and McGee’s among others) over the years on Northway and Circle Drive in Augusta.

Judy was a faithful child of God, attending the Olivet Baptist church as a child in Pennsylvania and as an adult in Michigan. She ensured her children were brought up in the church as she had been, and in later years enjoyed being a member of the Women’s Sunday School Class at Northeastern Baptist Church, a group who stayed in touch with her via cards and weekly updates following her move to Niles.

Thanks and blessings to her wonderful caretakers over the years, Janet, Deb, Chris, Debbie, our favorite special staff members at Woodland Terrace who cared for and always had time to assist mom over the past years, and for the ongoing cards sent to mom (Joyce & Janet & Linda), and for visits and ongoing friendship (Jackie) even after she moved away from the Augusta area. We especially want to thank those who helped be our eyes and ears those years mom lived on her own in Michigan when her daughters no longer lived locally.

Judy will certainly be missed by all her family who loved her, however we are all rejoicing to know she’s reunited with her high school sweetheart Bill and in God’s heavenly home where all her health issues are gone and she’s once again the busy, creative Judy… who walks fast, easily recalls each and every part of her life and all the wonderful people she met along the way.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Monday, November 11, 2024 at the Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home & Cremation Care, Augusta Chapel, where services to celebrate her life will be held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 12, 2024.  Interment will follow at the Fort Custer National Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The Mary Free Bed Foundation 235 Wealthy St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (www.maryfreebed.com/foundation/) and/or the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary (checks made payable to MSU) W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Attn: Sarah Carroll 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive Hickory Corners, MI 49060 (http://www.birdsanctuary.kbs.msu.edu/support/).  Personal messages for the family and favorite memories of Judy may be placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com.

The service was recorded and may be viewed below.