Judith "Judy" A. Edstrom

Judith Ann Edstrom, age 79, passed away on Sunday, September 20, 2026 at The Neighbors of Dunn County.

Judy was born on December 20, 1946 to Lester and Phyllis (Schroeder) Rydeen in Stillwater, Minnesota. She grew up on Boot Lake Farm in Scandia, Minnesota, and was the oldest of five siblings. Along with her parents, the family ran a successful dairy farm on the shores of Boot Lake. Along with the work of the farm, the family made time for showing cattle at county and state fairs, enjoying the shores of Boot Lake and the north shore of Lake Superior, and gathering often with the many cousins and family members who lived nearby.

Judy was small in stature, but large in presence. She ran a family dairy farm outside Ridgeland, Wisconsin, first with her husband Pete, and later on her own. She raised six children, who were also helpers with the day-to-day work of the farm.

Judy’s passions included dairy farming, horses, community get-togethers, and church gatherings. Farm life meant plenty of chores like picking weeds, milking cows, cleaning stalls, and hauling feed, but Judy also made time for activities that mattered to her children. She attended her children’s musicals, cross country meets, and speech performances. She volunteered to scoop ice cream at the county fair to support Farmers Without Borders, with a few of the kids in tow to help. She also loved Christmas and enjoyed baking Swedish rye bread, hard tack and spritz cookies each holiday season. Laughter was an important part of family life, and her daughters could often make Judy laugh until she cried with a joke or offhand comment, and many evenings milking cows led to moments of dancing or singing along with the local country radio station.

One of Judy’s greatest joys was hitching her Appaloosa mare, Star, to her buggy on summer evenings and heading out into the countryside, reins in hand and Star trotting along. She was a member of the Ridgeland Lutheran Church and enjoyed hosting church Circle.

In her later years, Judy remained connected to her community in Ridgeland and loved having neighbors stop by to visit. After an injury in 2020, she moved to Neighbors of Dunn County, where she lived until her passing. She appreciated all the friends and neighbors who showed up to spend time with her. The power of community and friendship is strong and provided Judy with strength and peace during her final years. Her family is grateful for the staff at Neighbors of Dunn County who cared for her and enriched her life during her time there.

Judy’s life was rooted in family, farming, and community. She worked hard, laughed easily, loved her cows, horses, kitties and Border Collies, and the countryside. Her six children will carry countless stories of her with them.

Judy is survived by her six children: Julie Edstrom, Cindy (Erick) Kilham, Amy (Todd) Bernstrom, Heidi (Kevin) Lammers, Dan Edstrom, Eric (Ruth) Edstrom; her sister Sandy Holcomb; brothers Gary Rydeen and Brian Rydeen; and 11 grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents Lester and Phyllis, sister Susan, brothers-in-law Chuck Howe and James Holcomb.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 4:00 p.m. Friday, October 9th at Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie, WI with Chaplain Bonnie Geurkink officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Neighbors of Dunn County Nursing Home or Alzheimer’s Association are appreciated.

To share a memory, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfuneral.com