Patrick Joseph Judge

Patrick Judge, 78, of Winn, passed away Thursday, July 29, 2021, at Schnepp Senior Care Center in St. Louis. He was born March 17, 1943, in Isabella County, Michigan, son of the late Joseph and Margaret (Fox) Judge. A graduate of Shepherd High School in 1961, Pat married Lynne (Detwiler) House on April 5, 1970, in Mt. Pleasant. He was a stand-out athlete at Shepherd High School, holding records in track and was a dominant running back on the football field.  He was also a member of the 1959 Mt. Pleasant All Star team that participated in the Colt League World Series in Ontario, California.  His love of sports never faded.  He loved to watch his grandkids play all sports and never missed a Detroit Tigers game. Although he was, and will always be a farmer, in 1969 he bought the Friendly Tavern in Winn and the Judge's Bench was born.  Over the next 45 years he and Lynne turned the small business into a local icon.  People drove for miles to have one of his burgers and one of his most coveted awards was the Saginaw News "Best Burger in the Saginaw Area." It was one of his favorite things to watch his children and grandchildren as they worked beside him in the business. Pat loved hunting, especially with family.  Some of his greatest memories are of times at The Cabin with his brothers or with the Dushville Hunt Club. His hunting trips took him to Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, and to South Dakota chasing pheasants with the Andera boys.  Once his grandkids were old enough to hunt, he would spend hours with them in the blind sharing stories and eating junk food. Of everything he had and did, by far his greatest love was family.  Over his last days, he spoke frequently of how lucky he was to have had the family he had.  No family event went by without a gathering of some kind; eating, drinking, telling stories, and gambling… always gambling, which was another one of his favorite things to do. He loved his brothers and sisters dearly and treasured all of their adventures.  As grandchildren and great grandchildren came into the picture, his love grew bigger and stronger.  He was so proud of each one of their successes and accomplishments and would never hesitate to tell you about it.  They were his greatest accomplishment. Pat spent his final year at Schnepp Senior Care Center in St. Louis where he was loved and treated like family. Pat is survived by three children, Kathy Edwards of Mt. Pleasant, Deb  Kanine of Shepherd, and Joe (Teresa) Judge of Winn; grandchildren, Kevin (Sarah) Edwards, Kelli (Carl) Huntoon, Kara (Brent) Bouman, Ryan Kanine, Katie Kanine, and Patrick, Aiden, Conor, Kiersten, and Carly Judge; great grandchildren, Brady and Emmy Edwards, Jackson and Ellie Bouman, and Grace and Gavin Huntoon; siblings, Joanne Swogger of Traverse City, Jerry (Marilyn) Judge of Manistee Lake, Janette (Larry) Murra of Traverse City, and Jeanne (Mike) Hottinger of Gladwin; sister in-law, Virginia Judge of Mt. Pleasant; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Margaret Judge; wife, Lynne Judge; son, John House; brother, Tom Judge;  brother-in-law, George Swogger; and nephew, Daniel Judge.  A Funeral Mass for Pat will be held at Sacred Heart Church at 11 a.m. Monday, August 2, with Father Don Henkes as celebrant. The family will receive friends at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home on Sunday from 2-7:30 p.m. with the Vigil beginning at 7:30 p.m. Visitation continues at the church on Monday one hour prior to Mass.  Interment will be in St. Leo's Cemetery in Winn following the meal. Memorial contributions may be made to the Fremont Township Fire Department.  To sign the online guest book or leave a condolence for the family please visit www.CharlesRLux.com