Judith Eileen “Judy” LaMotte

St. Louis - Judith Eileen "Judy" LaMotte died January 10, 2026, in St. Louis, MO, at age 82. She was born in Des Moines, IA to Fred Appenzeller and Edith (Roberts) Appenzeller. She graduated from Boone High School in 1961 and later earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Horticulture and Art and Design at Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drawing and Painting at Boston University. She published illustrations in children's and botanical scientific books and, with a coauthor, a history of her Iowa family of Appenzellers. Judy was a dedicated cat parent who volunteered at cat shelters in St. Louis. There, a small backyard flower garden became her art medium, winning first prize in one vignette-garden category of a St. Louis contest. One admirer aptly described Judy as "a gentle soul."

Mrs. LaMotte is survived by her husband Clifford of St. Louis, her stepchildren Larry (Kimberly) of Wenatchee, WA, and Laurie (Dennis) Reeser of Malaga, WA, two grandchildren, Erica Nenezich and Andrea (Justin Catron-Hoesch) Harcharik of Bothell, WA, three great-grandchildren, her brother Bob (Carolyn) Appenzeller of Port St. Lucie, FL, and her two nieces April Morgan and Julie Warner.