Judith Ann Nicklay

Judy Nicklay was a loving wife, devoted mother and attentive grandmother. She was determined and diligent, disciplined and meticulous. Her personal history caused her to be focused on her wellbeing, yet her devotion to family was at the heart of everything she did. Judy lived for others, and in making them happy, she was fulfilled. Judy was born in Elba, Minnesota at a time when America was being drawn into the war in Europe. Men quickly stepped up to enlist in the war effort and women joined the country's work force. Families had come through the challenges of economic depression with a strong work ethic and resolve to make life better for their children. One such family was Earl and Irene Ellringer, who welcomed the first of their seven children on June 28, 1942.Judy was 12 years old when the family moved to St. Charles following a big flood that hit Elba in the 1950s. However, the day before her 13th birthday was even more monumental. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. As devastating as that might have been to a young teen, Judy tackled the disease head-on. Self-treatment became a top priority in her life, and she managed it with such excellence that she would be seen as a role model for others. In 2006, Judy received the Lilly for Life 50-Year Insulin Award from the Eli Lilly and Company commemorating her 50 years of successfully managing diabetes. She was considered an exceptional case because of how well she took care of herself and controlled the disease for what would be 60 years. In 1960, Judy graduated from high school and went to work at Home Produce in St. Charles and later at St. Anne's Hospice in Winona. Through her sister Jane and husband Bill, Judy went on a blind date with Bill's friend Charlie. Judy had no expectations of the relationship becoming serious because she assumed no one would want to marry a diabetic. But she didn't give herself enough credit, and a proposal of marriage led her to the best day of her life. On June 1, 1963, Judy wed Charles W. Nicklay at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and her new priority became her family. Judy and Charlie were blessed with three children--Deb, Dawn, Dan--and she cared for them with vigor and humor. When they were in school, she helped them with their homework by quizzing them for their tests. She was excellent at preparing meals that were family favorites, such as ham and bean soup and porcupine meatballs from the pressure cooker. Her weekly menu became so routine that the family knew what day of the week it was by what was being served for supper. Thursday evenings were for grocery shopping with the children taking turns going along and enjoying a special treat of French fries from Del's Cafe. To her children and later her grandchildren, Judy was open about her diabetes and educated them about successfully living with the disease. Her treatments began as a daily insulin injection with a glass syringe requiring weekly sterilization...to four insulin shots a day using disposable syringes...to the insulin pump -- her favorite because it gave her some freedom back. She once became so animated in explaining to her grandkids and gesturing with her hands, that she suddenly realized her insulin needle was missing, only to discover that it was stuck in her hand.Judy was very good at controlling her blood sugars. If her blood glucose was low, she would eat jellybeans, which she always kept a supply nearby -- in her pocket, purse, car, pickup, kitchen dining room, living room, and bedroom -- for when she experienced low blood sugar levels.Keeping her diabetes under control required attention to detail that carried over into other areas of Judy's life. She cleaned house weekly, but every Friday and Monday she went to task scrubbing floors, windows and sills, baseboards, and moving furniture to vacuum. Spring cleaning was repeated in the fall and even the unfinished basement got the kind of treatment that banished every single cobweb. At the same time, she saved everything from stickers and stamps to soup can labels. In fact, tin cans could be said to be cleaner than when they were filled with food. Once her children were out of school, Judy went to work at Henry's Variety Store and Muriel Douglas' Draperies & Blinds in St. Charles. She still managed time to quilt, grow plants, raise flowers and eventually spend quality time with her grandchildren. She and Charlie took the grandkids on day trips to the Nicklay's farm, the Children's Museum, Monkey Island or Granddad's Bluff, to name a few. At Grandma's house, they had the best of time "doing no wrong" in Grandma's eyes.As a couple, Judy and Charlie spent precious time together traveling the United States. They visited every state from north to south (Chicken, Alaska to Key West, Florida) and from east to west (the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean) multiple times. However, they skipped Hawaii because there wasn't a road going there. Judy documented every trip by writing notes in her atlas and numerous maps, saving memorabilia (pencils, pens, back scratchers, refrigerator magnets, etc.) from all the places they visited. Their life was full and rich with love and joy. Judy Ann (Ellringer) Nicklay, 72, of St. Charles, Minnesota, died Sunday morning, April 26, 2015 at St. Mary's Hospital. Her husband and children were at her side. Judy is survived by her husband, Charles Nicklay of St. Charles, daughter Deb (Steve) Franks of Rochester, daughter Dawn (Ron) Sweningson of Lewiston, and son Dan (Christie) Nicklay of St. Charles; grandchildren Sara and Elizabeth Franks, Blake and Logan Sweningson, Brandon, Josh and Cody Nicklay; brother Frances Ellringer of Inver Grove Heights, sister Jane (Richard) Spitzer of Rochester, brother Jim (Gerri) Ellringer of St. Charles, sister Joan (Tom) St. Martin of Rochester, sister Janet (Rick) Whitaker of Rochester, sister-in-law Jill (Joel) Ellringer of North Carolina; sister-in-law Vicki (Mike) Fruth of Rochester, sister-in-law Mary (Pat) Nicklay of Dover; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, mother- and father-in-law, grandparents, brother-in-law Richard Spitzer, brother Joel Ellringer, and brother-in-law Pat Nicklay. Visitation will be held Thursday, April 30 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Hoff Funeral Home in St. Charles. A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, May 1 at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church with visitation at 10:00 AM before the service. Pallbearers will be grandchildren: Sara and Elizabeth Franks, Blake and Logan Sweningson, Brandon, Josh and Cody Nicklay. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in St. Charles. The family requests that memorial gifts be designated to diabetes research at Mayo Clinic. Gifts can be mailed directly to Mayo Clinic, Department of Development, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905. Thank you to Hoff Funeral Home for handling all the arrangements. A special thank you to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester and Lewiston Villa for the care and attention given Judy during her stay. A very special thank you to friends, family and neighbors who brought food to the house. Please share a memory of Judy, view her video tribute and read her Life Story at www.hofffuneral.com.
Tribute video can be found at: videos.lifetributes.com/591179