Judith June Knowles August 24, 1938 - February 23, 2025

The Lawrence Memorial District Library was blessed to have Judy as an employee and before that as a volunteer. She will be missed by our Library Family as well as the community. You could always count on her warm smile and the care she gave to all who entered the library.

Judith June Knowles Obituary

Judith June Knowles, 86, of Climax, passed away on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at her home, on hospice care, surrounded by her sons.

A memorial service will be held at 4:00 P.M. on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at Lighthouse of Athens, 310 S. Capital Avenue, Athens, MI 49011. Pastor Noah Miller from Climax Community Church will officiate. A memorial visitation will be held for 2 hours prior to the service on Saturday, beginning at 2:00 P.M., also at the Lighthouse of Athens. Judith will be interred privately at Prairie Home Cemetery in Climax at a later date. The family is being served by Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation in Union City.

Judith was born on August 24, 1938 in Battle Creek, Michigan to Robert “Cotton” and Doris (Kelly) Gibson. She grew up in Climax and graduated from Climax High School in 1956. She married Larry J. Knowles on June 21, 1957. The couple operated a family dairy farm in Climax together with their boys for many years. Larry preceded her in death in 2013.

In her early years, Judith worked as a telephone operator at a large senior care facility. She then went to work at Sinclair’s Market in Climax and Asmo Manufacturing in Battle Creek. Later in life she decided to go back to school. She graduated from Davenport College with an accounting degree. With her new degree, she landed a job with VanderSalm’s Floral in Kalamazoo and then at the Leroy Township offices. The job she loved most in life was volunteering at the Lawrence Memorial Library in Climax, where she also served on their Board of Directors.

Judith was a wonderful caregiver to her family, especially when Larry was busy milking cows. She had a very calm demeanor about her that her family relied on. She loved to go dancing with Larry on Saturday nights. She was a member of the Climax Country Riders Saddle Club for many years. Through the years the family attended several churches, including: Climax United Methodist, Wakeshma Community Church, Fulton Bible Church, and West Leroy Bible Church. She was part of the Climax Women’s Bowling League for many years as well. With her birthday being in August, she loved to have her birthday parties at the beach at Lake Michigan. In her later years, she was part of the local Red Hat group.

Judith is survived by her sons, Jeff Knowles of Centreville, Steve Knowles and Tim Knowles, both of Climax; her brother-in-law Bill Burke of Fulton; her 5 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; her sister Carolyn Burke; and her grandson, Darren Lawrence Knowles in 2023.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Lawrence Memorial Library, 107 North Main Street, Climax, MI 49034.