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Judith Smith Obituary
Visit the Duyck & VanDeHey Funeral Home - Forest Grove website to view the full obituary.
Judith (Judy) Annette (Wahlbom) Smith, 84, a resident of the Forest Grove community passed away Wednesday evening, October 29th, 2025 at Hawthorne House Memory Care.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at the First Christian Church of Forest Grove; 2231 19th Ave in Forest Grove. Family and friends are invited to attend a reception held at the Church fellowship room following the service.
An interment service will follow at Mountain View Memorial Gardens in Forest Grove.
Judy was born on November 17th, 1940 in Svensen, OR. She was one of eight children born to Karl "Kalle" and Saima (Maki) Wahlbom. She lived with her family in Svensen and attended Knappa High School and graduated with the Class of 1958. Judy went on to attend the Oregon College of Education in Monmouth and received a Bachelor's degree in education.
She met her future husband, Richard "Dick" Smith, while she was the high school secretary and he was teaching at Knappa Elementary. They were introduced by the principal. They soon began dating and were married on August 13, 1960 in Astoria. They made their home in Astoria until 1962 when they moved to Forest Grove following Dick's teaching career. In 1965 they settled in Yamhill and lived there until they moved back to Forest Grove in 2006.
Judy was an elementary school teacher at Yamhill Grade School. She worked as a substitute and an instructional aide teaching reading before college. After she graduated from OCE, she taught 3rd, 4th and 6th grade at YGS. Judy taught for 26 years before she retired from teaching in 1996.
She was an active member of the Church and PEO and loved to travel, especially to the beach. She enjoyed making bouquets and flower arrangements. She was a voracious reader, particularly mysteries. She adored her dog Cinnamon in the later years but loved and adored all of the pets they owned throughout her life. Judy was her granddaughter's, Kaylin and Hannah, #1 fan and spent many hours watching their softball, volleyball and basketball games. Judy loved watching the Portland Trailblazers, visiting with friends and family, and playing dress-up.
She is preceded in death by her husband Richard "Dick", son Kevin, her parents Karl "Kalle" & Saima Wahlbom, and all of her siblings.
She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law; Vicky and Bill VanDomelen of Banks, two granddaughters; Kaylin (Gerritt) Schmidlkofer of Forest Grove, Hannah VanDomelen of Forest Grove and many nieces and nephews.
The family suggests donations in Judy's name to First Christian Church; 2231 19th Ave in Forest Grove or Forest Grove Public Library; 2114 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove, OR 97116.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at the First Christian Church of Forest Grove; 2231 19th Ave in Forest Grove. Family and friends are invited to attend a reception held at the Church fellowship room following the service.
An interment service will follow at Mountain View Memorial Gardens in Forest Grove.
Judy was born on November 17th, 1940 in Svensen, OR. She was one of eight children born to Karl "Kalle" and Saima (Maki) Wahlbom. She lived with her family in Svensen and attended Knappa High School and graduated with the Class of 1958. Judy went on to attend the Oregon College of Education in Monmouth and received a Bachelor's degree in education.
She met her future husband, Richard "Dick" Smith, while she was the high school secretary and he was teaching at Knappa Elementary. They were introduced by the principal. They soon began dating and were married on August 13, 1960 in Astoria. They made their home in Astoria until 1962 when they moved to Forest Grove following Dick's teaching career. In 1965 they settled in Yamhill and lived there until they moved back to Forest Grove in 2006.
Judy was an elementary school teacher at Yamhill Grade School. She worked as a substitute and an instructional aide teaching reading before college. After she graduated from OCE, she taught 3rd, 4th and 6th grade at YGS. Judy taught for 26 years before she retired from teaching in 1996.
She was an active member of the Church and PEO and loved to travel, especially to the beach. She enjoyed making bouquets and flower arrangements. She was a voracious reader, particularly mysteries. She adored her dog Cinnamon in the later years but loved and adored all of the pets they owned throughout her life. Judy was her granddaughter's, Kaylin and Hannah, #1 fan and spent many hours watching their softball, volleyball and basketball games. Judy loved watching the Portland Trailblazers, visiting with friends and family, and playing dress-up.
She is preceded in death by her husband Richard "Dick", son Kevin, her parents Karl "Kalle" & Saima Wahlbom, and all of her siblings.
She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law; Vicky and Bill VanDomelen of Banks, two granddaughters; Kaylin (Gerritt) Schmidlkofer of Forest Grove, Hannah VanDomelen of Forest Grove and many nieces and nephews.
The family suggests donations in Judy's name to First Christian Church; 2231 19th Ave in Forest Grove or Forest Grove Public Library; 2114 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove, OR 97116.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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