Judith Kathryn Mickelson, age 85 of Tracy, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2025 at Our House Hospice of Murray County in Slayton. Memorial Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, October 11, 2025 at the Currie Municipal Building in Currie, Minnesota. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Judith Kathryn Mickelson was born January 21, 1940 at the Tracy Hospital, to Carl W. and Lucille (Sabinske) Philipson. Lucille, a big fan of Judy Garland, chose to name her daughter after the beloved star. At the age of 3, Judy would sing and dance to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Judy had 2 sisters, and her older sister Mary Lou became a life-long protector and role model. Together, they had many adventures. Judy also had a younger sister, Beverly Jean. Judy attended Tracy High School and became an outstanding Head Majorette, leading the excellent Tracy High School Band. She graduated in 1958, and that fall she married Jerome Mickelson on November 21, 1958 at the Willow Lake Lutheran Church on a snowy Friday evening. They were married 66 ½ years, and their marriage was blessed with 7 children. Judy was a loving and supportive mother and an adoring grandmother and great-grandmother. Judy loved to spend time in her many flower gardens; tending to her flowers, shrubs, vines, etc. She laid many rock pathways in and around her beautiful gardens. She had a unique talent for arranging, selecting, and creating displays – this gift made her a much-valued employee at the Thrifty Drug Store in Brainerd and later at the Thrifty Drug in Marshall. Judy was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis in November 2022, and on December 27, 2024, she entered Murray County Hospice House where the divinely dedicated care and devotion to body, mind, and soul made her last months a peaceful and positive transition. Judy passed away peacefully on August 1, 2025.
Judy is survived by her husband Jerome; daughters: Kathryn (Roger) Trimbo and Misti Walker; sons: Michael (Carol) Mickelson, Mark Mickelson, Mitchell Mickelson, and E. Matthew (Beth) Mickelson; sister Mary Lou Werner; and many grandchildren; great grandchildren; nieces; and nephews – each one a much-treasured blessing. She is preceded in death by her parents Carl & Lucille, sister Beverly, and infant daughter Kelli Dawn.
