Judith (Judy) Louise Fuglestad joined deceased family and friends in heaven on Thursday, July 7, 2025 to worship God the Father, to worship Jesus Christ the Son, and to fellowship with The Holy Spirit.
Judy was born to Merle and Esther (Bishop) Voris on June 18, 1947 in Newark, Ohio. She graduated from Windfall High School (IN) in 1965, most notably as editor of the Anemone yearbook and valedictorian of her class. She loved and enjoyed her classmates as well as the values of her Christian upbringing in rural Indiana. She attended the University of Evansville, was a member of Phi Mu social fraternity, was inducted into the scholastic honorary Alpha Lambda Delta, and served on the staff of the college yearbook, the LinC. She also attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and graduated from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1969.
In the summer of 1967, she worked for Glacier Park, Inc. in Glacier National Park. It was an eye-opening and life-changing experience. She met people from all over the United States as well as the world while working in the majestic mountains, enjoying the wildflowers, and enjoying the wildlife. Judy’s opinion is that the majestic beauty of Glacier is unequaled.
In Glacier she met Ren Fuglestad, a Red Bus tour driver, who became her husband on July 6, 1968. They enjoyed numerous adventures during their 57 years of marriage, including travels to Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Mexico. They also enjoyed travels to Hawaii, Florida, The Great Smoky Mountains, the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and their beloved Montana. Their last place of residence was in Post Falls, Idaho.
From their union were born two daughters: Sonja B Hurt (Rick) of Coeur d’Alene, ID, and Solveig M Fuglestad of Post Falls, ID. Both girls have brought unsurpassed joy and adventure to their parents’ lives.
Judy felt immensely blessed by their deep and expressive love.
She is also survived by 13 in-laws and siblings, 59 nieces and nephews, and many grandnieces and grandnephews. She considered two sisters-in-law her best friends with whom she shared amazing antics and adventures: Shelah Blixt and Sharon Voris.
Preceding Judy in death were her parents, Merle and Esther (Bishop) Voris, her mother-in-law, Clara (Sigdestad) Fuglestad, her father-in-law R.E. (Ed) Fuglestad, sisters-in-law Sharon Voris and Geri Fuglestad, Afton Nellermoe, brothers-in-law Jerry Awbrey, Gordy Blixt, and Corky Fuglestad, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
Judy served her community by being on the founding board of the Bozeman (MT) Farmer’s Market and by being on the founding board of the Bozeman (MT) Sweet Pea Festival. She was also a Girl Scout Leader and a Sunday School and Bible School Teacher.
In 1977 Judy began a 30-year long career with Osco Drug. Judy served the company in Bozeman, Kalispell, Missoula, Butte, Billings, and Helena, all in Montana, as well as in Columbia, Missouri, and Moorhead, MN. During her years with Osco she received numerous awards acknowledging her outstanding performance with the company. Aspects of her job she especially enjoyed were merchandising, ROP ad writing, and finding the most efficient, most profitable, and most fun way for her associates to accomplish a task. She loved to take a chance, by buying something off-the-wall for her store, and watching it sell well.
After her retirement, she found enjoyment in taking photographs and then turning them into photo notecards with birthday, sympathy, thank you, etc., script on the photos. After years of making hundreds of cards from the thousands of photos she took, she turned her attention to the hobby of painting rocks with positive messages on them to be hidden for children (of all ages) to find. It was her way to spread joy and love.
Early in her retirement, she ‘blogged’ what she called her Bible Verse Ministry. It began as a way to aid a few Bible study friends to memorize Scripture. It became her thoughts, guided by the Holy Spirit, concerning Scriptures given to her by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes there would be as many as 3 a week; other times 2-3 weeks would go by before a new blog would be inspired. When it ended ( due to a computer crash), the blog reached over 300 email addresses.
She enjoyed tremendously the beauty of flowers, even though she was unsuccessful in growing them. She did love putzing in her indoor succulent garden and watching them flourish – or die. She did like to write: short, funny stuff. She loved to plan events and to host them. She also enjoyed cooking (!) a delightful meal and serving it with love and laughter. She loved enjoying people.
Judy worshipped at Christ The King LCMS Church in Coeur d’Alene, ID during the time they resided in Idaho.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Judy’s honor should be made to Oak Grove Lutheran School, 124 N. Terrace Drive, Fargo, ND 58102 and/or Park Christian School, 300 17th Street N., Moorhead, MN. 56560.
Funeral Services will be held for Judy at West Funeral Home (321 Sheyenne St, West Fargo, ND) at 3:00 pm, Saturday, August 2 with visitation one hour prior to the service.
A prayer service will be held at 7 pm on Friday, August 1st at the funeral home with visitation beginning at 5 pm.
Interment will be at a later date in Prairie Home Cemetery, Moorhead, Minnesota.
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