Judith Roeger Obituary

Judith "Judy" Roeger, 88, of Brownsburg, IN, passed away on June 23, 2025, peacefully in her daughter Karen's home. Family came first for Judy. She was a relentless mother of 10, grandmother of 20 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren with another on the way.

Judy was a lover of life, and family came first. Together with Jack, her husband of nearly 54 years, they raised their children in a midsize house, which had just 1.5 bathrooms, on Rosemont Drive. Although money was often tight, Judy, who didn't know how to drive at the time, always had a saying: "The Lord will provide."

Her children had a great childhood in that crowded house. The family piled into a station wagon and made trips to New Jersey to visit relatives; to Cedar Point for a fun day at the amusement park. There were even occasional camping trips with the infamous Big Blue tent, a "rain maker," one of Judy's sons called the tent.

Her Catholic faith was equally important. Judy was a longtime member of Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Fort Wayne. She was involved in parish life, serving on the Rosary Society, the school board and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. With the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, she helped people in need of basics, such as food, clothing or household goods.

Education for her children was non-negotiable for Judy. All of her children received higher education degrees with a purpose of having more comfortable lives than those who came before them. After her children had graduated from high school, Judy returned to college, earning a bachelor's degree in education from Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. She then taught in various Catholic schools in the Fort Wayne area.

Judy was born Jan. 26, 1937, to Leonard and Eileen Brown in New Jersey. When she was in the fifth grade, her family moved to Fort Wayne. Judy attended Cathedral School and graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1954. It was at CC that she met Jack, and the two were married in 1957.

To help make ends meet, Judy began working at JCPenney when the Glenbrook Square store opened in 1975, and she didn't learn to drive until a few years afterward.

In retirement, Judy and Jack spent time traveling, visiting extended family across the country. They also made a trip to Ireland in 2008.

In 2011, Jack died. In 2020, Judy, who had been living with Parkinson's disease for a number of years, moved from her home in Fort Wayne to Brownsburg, Indiana, to live with her daughter Karen and son-in-law Happy Hill. Karen and her family were blessed to be her caretakers ever since.

Judy was preceded in death by a son, Stephen; her parents Leonard and Eileen Brown; husband John Roeger Sr.; sister Barbara Borthwick; daughter-in-law Cynthia Ashworth; son-in-law Robert Mellin; brothers-in-law William Roeger, Charles Haft, Bruce Exner, Raymond Mathys; and sister-in-law Cecile Roeger.

Surviving are her children Michael (Karen Nesius Roeger) of Fort Wayne; Maureen Roeger of Fort Wayne; Karen (Happy) Hill of Brownsburg; Thomas (Catharine Radamacher) of Bloomington; Patricia (Steven) Elsten of Carmel; Kathleen Roberts (Michael Haas companion) of Kokomo; James (Lih-ing Wu Roeger) of Holt, Michigan; Jean (Dean) Barratt of Carmel; Jude (Kristyne) of Carmel; John (Lori) of Chicago; 20 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren; brothers Richard (Virginia) Brown of Midlothian, Virginia; David (Nancy) Brown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; sister Andrea Brown of Smyrna, Delaware; sisters-in-law Margaret Haft, Mary Exner and Dorthea Roeger of Fort Wayne and Carolyn Mathys of Geneva; brother-in-law William Borthwick of Irving, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 am on Monday, June 30, 2025, at Queen of Angels Catholic Church, 1500 W. State Blvd., Ft Wayne, with visitation and prayers from 9:30 am until 10:30 am at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave., Ft Wayne. Visitation will also be held from 4 to 8 pm on Sunday, June 29, 2025, at Divine Mercy Funeral Home. Burial at Catholic Cemetery, Ft Wayne.

Memorials can be written to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Queen of Angels or to Howard County Special Olympics (www.somdhc.org). Condolences can be left at www.divinemercyfuneralhome.com.