Annandale, MN
April 25, 1943 – August 31, 2021
A Memorial service will be at 2:30 PM on Monday, September 13 at Williams Dingmann Funeral Home in Big Lake for Judy A. Boyd age 78 of Annandale who died Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at her home. Visitation will be from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM prior to the service on Monday at the funeral home.
Judy was born April 25, 1943 in Wadena to Clarence & Gertrude (Steinkraus) Ritari. She grew up in Verndale and then went on to graduate from the U of M with a bachelor’s of science degree. She married Duane Mosher in 1968, settling first in Wadena and then their home on Lake Sylvia. They welcomed their only child, Michelle, in 1971. Duane died unexpectedly in 1973. She married Dennis Boyd in 2001 in Minneapolis. Judy worked as a teacher in the Annandale, Buffalo and surrounding school districts for a number of years and later continued her career as a manufacturing buyer and consultant.
Judy will be fondly remembered for her intelligence, wit and outgoing personality. She was independent and pursued her convictions, even when they didn’t fall in the norm, and her lifetime experiences were varied and stitched together like a patchwork quilt. Her love for her daughter was fierce and unconditional, even with the challenges of being a single parent. She was creatively talented, winning a number of awards for her fiber art and stitchery, and enjoyed sharing her talent or ideas as a seamstress, quilter and crafter long before the days of Pinterest. She tremendously enjoyed making connections with many people throughout her life and she immensely enjoyed learning the stories of people she met and giving a helping hand where she could. She found delight in nature, was a collector of fall leaves and plants, and loved her view of the lake and the loon calls from across the bay. She loved hearing of her grandchildren’s adventures and would be the most sad about leaving them unexpectedly. No one who knew Judy would disagree that she lived her life as she damn well pleased and without regrets. Those of us who knew her well will both delight and shake our heads when we share stories of her antics. We will miss her tremendously.
Survivors include her husband Dennis of Kimball; daughter, Michelle (Kelly) Lommel of Big Lake; grandchildren, Alyssa (Zach Nault) of Salt Lake City UT, Gabrielle of Fargo ND, Madelyn, and Spencer Lommel; sister-in-law, Betty Ritari of Colorado Springs CO; sisters and brothers, Sharon (Ron) Mason of Coon Rapids, Douglas Ritari of Roseville, Alice Ritari (K.C. Hanson) of OR, Dan (Jeanne) Ritari of Big Lake, and Richard Ritari of Gainesville, FL. We particularly appreciate Judy’s favorite sister and “partner in crime”, Sharon. Special thank you to Jim and Patty Behrends for their kind consideration of Judy in the last few years.
Judy was preceded in death by her parents, first husband Duane Mosher, and brother Gary Ritari.
