Judy Irene Nys

Judy Irene Nys (Sramek)

Nov. 18, 1940 - Jan. 1, 2024

APIARY, OR - Judy Irene Nys (Sramek) passed away on January 1, 2024 at the age of 83 at her home in Apiary, OR surrounded by loving family. It was her wish to be at home, a place she loved with her garden, her flowers, and the annual mass of yellow daffodils covering the landscape.

She was born in Stratton, NE on November 18, 1940. Her parents were Vincent and Irene Sramek who passed away a number of years ago in Rainier, OR.

She is survived by her husband, Paul; our son, Dwayne; daughters-in-law, Kim (Lucas) and Darla (Thurston); grandsons, Kyle, Nick, and Derek and granddaughters, Alayna (Myers) and Samantha (Schrader). To date there are nine great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by her five sisters: Karen Smith (Charleston, SC), Gloria Johnson (Rainier, OR), Deanna Crouser (Bend, OR), Lila Wasser (Rochester, WA) and Melissa Bledsoe (Rainier, OR) and brother-in-law, Carl Nys (Longview, WA).

Immediate family members who are deceased include our son, Darrel (May 26, 2023) and her younger brother Brad Sramek.

In Judy's junior year of high school, 1957, the family moved from Nebraska to Rainier. Judy graduated from Rainier Union High School in 1958. This Corn Husker must have made quite an impression on the native Columbians. Since she had most of her high school credits for graduation, she was named as an office assistant, and when the Home Economics teacher took a maternity leave, Judy was named as the substitute teacher.

She met her future husband Paul in a unique way. He was at home looking at his brother's assortment of senior pictures. One picture stood out to him. His mom, Swea, said, "I'll give you a dime if you will call her." Well, there is no history of the wager being paid, but Paul Nys and Judy Sramek were married on August 18, 1960 in Longview, WA.

Shortly after marriage, they moved to Corvallis, OR where where they made their first home while Paul was attending Oregon State University. Their two sons Darrel and Dwayne were born and the family moved to Albany where Paul was hired as a teacher in the Albany School District. Judy became a homemaker and enjoyed every minute. She also was a part time librarian at a grade school and teachers assistant at a preschool in Albany. Judy was an immaculate housekeeper, a great cook, and set high expectations for the boys as they were growing up. One of her breakfast specialties were Swedish hotcakes, covered with ripe strawberries and ice cream.

Judy enjoyed family vacations routinely in the Cascades east of Albany, at Lemolo Lake in Central Oregon, and on the Oregon Coast. Several summers included multiple week tent camping trips to an isolated camp site at Lemolo Lake. Later the summers were filled with cross country driving trips in a small eight foot camper to visit family in Denver, CO and Charleston, SC. Other trips for clamming, fishing the Columbia, and crabbing to Fort Stevens State Park, were common.

After they retired and the boys graduated from college, Judy and Paul settled in the Apiary area, near Rainier, Oregon, to manage the Nys Family Tree Farm. They took several international forestry tours to New Zealand, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Judy was the treasurer for the Columbia County Small Woodlands Association (OSWA) for over 15 years and always helped with their annual tree sale. She was also an active member of the Fern Hill Grange for several years.

Judy always marveled how much she enjoyed the country life style in rural Apiary, where she appreciated the wildlife, green trees, and natural beauty day in and day out.

Judy respectfully has requested that no services be scheduled. She will be interned in a family plot in the Apiary Cemetery at some point.

Any donations may be made to the Rainier, OR Historical Museum at PO Box 762, Rainier, OR 97048.