Judith J. Carmichael, 75, Kendallville, passed away at 10:55 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, at Presence Sacred Heart Home in Avilla. Born Dec. 12, 1940, on the family farm in rural Whitley County, she was the daughter of Roy V. and Mildred L. (Marshall) Baxter.

As a young girl, Judy enjoyed to have fun and was very social. She attended Larwill High School and started working at Blue Bell in Columbia City. One night while out with some friends, she watched a young Don Carmichael perform on stage and she had caught his eye and soon started dating. On May 1, 1965, Judy was united in married with Donald L. Carmichael in Albion. She had worked at other various jobs including, Dana Weatherhead in Columbia City and Syracuse, Square D and was a waitress at Fish of Stroh in Stroh. They had lived in the Whitley County and LaGrange area for most of the time. In 1980, Don took a job offer and they moved to Texas and returned to LaGrange in 1985.

She was an outstanding cook and her family will miss her world renown potato salad, her great cookouts with cheeseburgers and fries, her spaghetti dinners and of course her apple dumpling desert. Judy loved being around her family and also her friends. With a heart of gold, she would help out anyone in need. She was known for opening up her home to people when they needed a place and she was always there to solve everyone’s problems. When she was not socializing or having her family weekend together, she was a diehard bingo player.

Judy was known to go around to the bingo halls six days a week as well as twice on Saturday and Sunday. She was all business and took bingo pretty serious, having numerous cards in front of her each time. Another hobby she had was being an avid garage sale shopper. She may not have needed the item, but she knew somebody just might need this some day!

The world would forever change for Judy on Wednesday afternoon of July 7, 1999, when Don passed away. She would later move to Kendallville before going into Presence Sacred Heart Home in Aug. of 2015.

Survivors include her daughters: Donna (Dave Frank) Akers, Logansport; Deb (Wally) Goad, Gas City; sons: Gene Coffelt Jr., Warsaw; Dan (Dorinda) Carmichael, Avilla; and Darren (Erinn) Carmichael, Garrett; stepdaughters: Robin Christensen, Michigan City; Dawn (Chris) Bohner, LaPorte; stepson: Don (Debbie) Christensen Jr., Elkhart; sister: Sharon Conley, Columbia City; brothers: Richard (Mae) Baxter, Columbia City; Gerald Baxter, Columbia City; 19 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; daughter: Janet Kay Carmichael; sisters: Janet Coffelt; Ruth Johnson; brother: Bill Baxter; and two grandchildren: Coree Elizabeth Carmichael; and Jeremy Dean Goad.

Visitation will be from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, at DeMoney-Grimes Funeral Home, Columbia City. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, at the funeral home. She will be laid to rest next to Don at South Park Annex Cemetery, Columbia City.

Memorial donations may be made in her honor to the First Church of Christ in Garrett.