Judith Kay (Schoenhofer) Hutson (Judy), 80, of Carthage, Mo., died on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at Freeman Hospital in Joplin.
She was born on April 13, 1943, in Kansas City, Kansas to Vincent and Mildred (Mack) Schoenhofer.
She attended Lowell Elementary school. A 1961 graduate of Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kan., she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan.
After teaching school in Kansas City, Kan., for three years, she moved to Prairie View, Kan. There she met the love of her life, Wayne Hutson. They married on April 5, 1969, and later had two children, Kaylea and William. After running a dairy farm in Almena, Kan., for many years, the family moved to their present home in rural Carthage in 1982.
Because it was important for her to have a close walk with God, no matter the label, she attended multiple churches including both First United Presbyterian and London Heights Baptist churches in KCK; Almena United Methodist Church in Almena, Kan., First United Methodist Church in Carthage and First Baptist Church in Diamond. She taught Sunday School for many years.
She was a member of the National Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa and Delta Kappa Gamma, an organization of women teachers.
After teaching 14 years, she worked briefly as an assistant house parent and as a trainer at the workshop for special needs adults. She spent 25 years as a caseworker for the Missouri Department of Human Services.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Dale Schoenhofer; and her sister Janice Warner.
Survivors include her husband, Wayne, of the home; son William Hutson, Carthage; daughter Kaylea (Frank) Hutson-Miller of Cleora, Okla.; a sister, Joan Smith, Eudora, Kan.; two grandchildren, Collin Hutson, Carthage, and Taylor (Alex) Stasurak, Bradenton, Fla.; and three great-grandchildren Eleanor, Lincoln and Abigail Stasurak; as well as a host of nieces, nephews and friends.
Visitation is at 5 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 2, at Knell Mortuary in Carthage. Services are set for 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 3, also at Knell Mortuary, with a graveside service following at Fullerton Cemetery, south of Carthage.
Because she spent much of her life as an educator, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a favorite teacher’s Amazon wish list (Check with a teacher you know for a link to their classroom wish list, or just give them a gift card), or Donors Choose project (https://secure.donorschoose.org); funding a school lunch program; or support a local Dolly’s Imagination Library project (https://imaginationlibrary.com).
