Judith Ogden

Judi Evon Johnson Ogden
Orem, Utah

The Crazy Red Head has left the building.

On the day Judi was born, her mother was waiting at the hospital and her doctor was out flying his plane.  Judi decided it was time to come with or without the doctor, so the nurse drove out to the air strip, stood on top of her car and waved a towel to get his attention and alert him that it was time.  This was pretty much the theme of Judi’s life from the get go—jumping in with both feet, chasing sunshine wherever she went. She always had the ability to live with her whole heart and soul.

Judi passed away June 10, 2022 in Orem.  She was born January 24, 1945 in Mt. Pleasant.  She married Brent Ward Ogden on October 11, 1962 in Moroni.  They had three children: Rick Brent Ogden (Melissa), Stefonee Evon Ogden (Gary) Larsen, and Eric Aden Ogden. Together they had 11 grandchildren: Jaq, Aden, Royce, Shawnee (Preston), Colby, Melissa, Tanner (Alisa), Tate, Saxon, Baylee, and Nash. As well as 6 great-grandkids who brought Judi so much joy: Cohen, Graham, Pearl, Henry, Rafe and Beverly Jo.

Judi was preceded in death by her husband, Brent; father, Aden V Johnson; mother, Royce Evon Morley Johnson;  younger sister, Jeanie Mareah Johnson Poulson. Survived by her siblings: David (Linda) Johnson, Peggy Johnson Bossa, Randy (Betty) Johnson, Kim Johnson, Polly Johnson.

Judi had varied interests: shopping, creating, sewing, and making beautiful cross-stitches. She loved to paint, make jewelry, and doodle. She really excelled at mixed art media; it was always brightly colored, and it gave you a little insight into what her mind looked like.  She filled notebook after notebook with quotes. With the invention of the cell phone, we taught her how to screen-shot and save her favorite quotes to her phone. She thought it was so cool, and - yep - kept filling up those notebooks instead.

Mom was a master gardener. Her love for planting, weeding, harvesting and designing was infectious. Her favorite thing to plant was sunflowers; she loved how they held their head up high and followed the sun. Any opportunity she had to share her love or knowledge, she would do it, and she helped so many others develop love for the things she loved too. Her passion for cooking created loads of opportunities to try new recipes for the family. She believed a table was never fully set without linens, goblets, china, and edible flowers, She was always so proud to serve people from her table. Edible flowers can only go so far, but Judi believed that you eat with your eyes first.

As her children and grandchildren grew up, holidays, birthdays, celebrations and even the occasional Wednesday were made special with her over-the-top ability to decorate and bring such amazement and joy.

Judi loved home decor magazines and would flag multiple pages in each one.  It wasn’t uncommon to leave in the morning  and come home at night to have the furniture rearranged and painted a whole new color.  Her mother used to tell her she was always daubing things up and daub she did. Oh, and she loved to shop! (We have 2 storage sheds, a garage and part of a warehouse to prove it!) She enjoyed creating, updating, and inventing jobs for Dad to do and things to build. She kept him very busy. She always said she was a “fart in a whirlwind,” and truly she was.

Judi, born Judith, never liked the name Judith, and over time she accumulated quite a few nicknames. In high school they called her Jumping Judi; she would never explain how she got that name—very mysterious. Dad called her Jude. Other favorites were Mom, Maw, The Crazy Red Head, and “The Angel from Moroni”—this was a name she gave herself and referred to it every time she spoke in church.  The nickname she most adored was Ginnee. In her opinion she was way to young to ever be called Grandma, so she named herself Ginnee.  It stuck, and her grandkids, great-grandkids, friends and even strangers knew her only as Ginnee. Being Ginnee to her 17 “grands and great-grands” was such a joy to her.  She also worked outside the home as an office manager for over 20 years. She made loads of friends, and never forgot a name or face—but the best job she ever had was “Nanny Granny,” another self-appointed title that just fit.

When her big 5-0 birthday was close, she decided she needed to throw herself a surprise party.  She delivered invitations with instructions of when and how everyone should act, including when everyone would scream “surprise!” She wanted it timed perfectly so she could react appropriately with shock and awe.  That was the day “the Cronies” were created. She loved that group of ladies. They forged lifelong friendships and went on crazy adventures, laughing and getting up to all sorts of shenanigans. They were still going on adventures up until the very end. Recently,  she took some chalk and wrote on the side of the refrigerator, “Live with memories, don’t die with dreams.”  That is definitely what she did.

We love you, Crazy Red Head! We will miss you and spend the rest of our days filling the hole in our hearts with all the lessons and memories you shared with us.  Happy Trails!

Graveside services will be held Saturday, June 18, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. in the Richfield City Cemetery. Friends may call at the Magleby Mortuary on Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Online guestbook at www.maglebymortuary.com