Judith Lee Latvala
(December 19, 1939 - March 27, 2008)
 

Judith Lee (Campbell) Latvala, 68, of Munising, Michigan passed away unexpectedly on March 27, 2008 at her winter home in Zephryhills, Florida. Her family was at her bedside when she slipped away peacefully to be with her Lord, with the grace and dignity granted by the way she lived her life.

She was born in Munising, Michigan on December 19, 1939 to Gordon and Audrey (Shamberger) Campbell. She was a 1957 graduate of Mather High School in Munising. She married Ronald Latvala on August 2, 1958 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Munising and this year would have been their 50th wedding anniversary.

Mom was the office manager and secretary to the president of Lake States Wood Preserving and Hiawatha Log Homes for 26 years, retiring in 2003. She took great pride in her profession and was an accomplished bookkeeper, stenographer, typist and wordsmith. She loved her career and she was a positive role model for her daughter in all matters of business management and etiquette.

Mom could spell any word, loved crossword puzzles and challenged us to word games so we would expand our vocabulary. She gave her children and grandchild the greatest gift: the love of reading, as she always read to us, and she usually read two books at the same time. The happiest day of her life was the day her granddaughter, Kelly Lee, was born. She experienced great joy in seeing the world through Kelly’s eyes and loved to spend every minute she could with her and giving her “neck time”, going to all her plays, recitals and dances and watching her grow up to be the beautiful young woman she is today.

Upon her retirement, Mom then devoted her enormous energy to taking care of her own Mom in her elder years and being her caregiver along with her sister, Lynn, until her Mom’s death before she would devote time to her own retirement in Florida with Dad. Mom was a truly selfless person, who judged no one and always had a ready smile for all who crossed her path.

Mom was a passionate gardener and loved to tend to her flowers and plants in her yard. She treated each living thing as a gift to be marveled at and often sat in her yard and meditated to St. Francis. She often tried to slow down her family and get them to stop and smell the roses……..if only we had listened. We thought we had more time, Mom. You will be remembered as an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt, for your generosity towards all people, your unwavering devotion to your family and friends, and your deep spiritual faith in your Catholic Church, especially to your patron, Saint Jude.

Mom loved her family above all else and enjoyed spending as much time as possible with them. She is survived by her loving husband, Ronald, of 49 ½ years; son, Dean (Judy) Latvala of Marquette; daughter, Suzanne (Nick) Johnson of Marquette; granddaughter, Kelly Lee Latvala of Marquette; step-grandson, Dan Rose (fiancé Kara Kallio) of Marquette, 6 brothers and sisters including: Gordon (Helen) Campbell of West Allis, WI; James (Judy) Campbell of Manitowoc, WI; Candace (Bob) Hertzler of Munising, MI; Donald (Theresa) Campbell of Iron Mountain, MI; Joan (Emmitt) Gundick of Sparta, MI; and Lynn (James) Gariepy of Munising, MI; aunts, Roma Stewart of Madison Heights, MI; Clarita (Toivo) Luoma of Inverness, FL and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gordon and Audrey, brothers Mark, David and Timothy.

The family will receive friends at the Bowerman Funeral Home in Munising, MI on Friday, April 4th, 2008 from 5pm – 8pm with a vigil taking place at 7pm. A funeral mass will take place at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Saturday, April 5th at 10am in Munising, MI. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Building Fund, Munising, MI.

***Judy's commital service at Maple Grove Cemetery will be on July 19, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

Submitted by Char Livermore