Created 10-Jun-23
Modified 10-Jun-23
Visitors 2
111 photos
Judy Maas, 1945-2023
I'd like to take you on a little journey. We head west on I-94, it's a five hour drive to Jamestown, North Dakota. Then we head south 12 miles. There is a gravel road we will follow for 3 miles. Hold on to the dashboard, I'm taking a hard left turn... 70 years into the past. 1953
Sydney, North Dakota might be the small town in the state: two grain elevators, a couple homes, a train depot, and the Maas store where our family sold: gasoline (from one manual pump), groceries, hardware, and a post office. In the back, living quarters for the Bill Maas family. The youngest is Judy.. in 1953 she would be 7 going on 8. Her siblings were Gladys Maas, and Ray Maas.. my father. Judy's mother is Anna Maas a former school teacher.. a one room school teacher, but now running a country store with her husband Bill. The entire operation runs on a shoestring. Without the income from the post office, the entire town might collapse. The store is tiny, "I've seen bigger living rooms." But it provides an important meeting place for all the farmers in the Sydney township. And for miles around there is nothing but wheat fields.
So in a way Judy start her life in the center of this universe. She started working in the store as soon as she could peer over the counter and make change - greeting each person who entered the store not as a customer but as a friend and neighbor. A gift she would use throughout her life.
In her teens, Judy attended school in Jamestown, where she met more people, made more friends, and acquired a Library Card.
Books were the great love in Judy's life, they filled her with excitement as she discovered and explore the world between their pages. Judy helped her mother run the Maas Store after Bill died. But after she graduated from Jamestown High School, Anna knew Judy was destined for bigger things. Judy followed her brother to North Dakota State University. Education was a passion Judy held her entire life. As late as last year, Judy was attending various lectures and exhibitions.
Once she graduated from NDSU, North Dakota could no longer hold her. Judy moved to Chicago and worked just long enough to save some money. She finished her Master's Degree in Library Science in Denver and then followed her Maas cousins to California. Judy took a job at the Long Beach Public Library.
Chicago, Denver, and Long Beach gave her the opportunities to cultivate a love of more than just Literature. Judy became a patron of Dance, Music, and Museums of every kind.
It didn't take long for Judy to start eyeing the horizon; soon she was jetting off for Europe and the Middle East. I still have a post card from Egypt.. from 1974. I couldn't image any place more exotic. Judy was traveling in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.. as a single American woman.. one year after the Yom Kippur War.
Although she loved the Middle East, and still loved traveling, Judy decided she loved her family even more. After traveling the world, Judy choose Minnesota to put down roots. She found great satisfaction in her job; especially the friends she made. This metro area gave Judy many opportunities to enjoy her passions for reading, learning, and all the arts. Nothing Judy loved more than talking up local artists. She was a true friend of Minnesota. I even got her interested in Rock Music. All I had to do was bring up Dylan, Prince, or The Replacements.. all Minnesota artists.
Judy was a wonderful aunt. She wrote me regular letters, and then after my father died, she started calling me every Sunday. Both my sister, Suzanne and I are book lovers.. we both credit Judy. I claim Judy had a stronger role with me. But Suzanne has a strong counter.. Judy also instilled Suzanne with a love of Ballet, which has been passed down to her son Tim. But I still believe I got more out of Judy than Suzanne. Every Sunday I would compare notes with Judy about books we read. She had a knack for finding some real gems. A couple times she got me so excited, I raced to the library on Monday and had the book finished before she called the next week just so I could surprise her. And then we'd have our own private book club.
You don't know how sad it is to hear the phone ring on Sunday and realize it won't be Judy. But I know she's just over the horizon.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. -Isaiah 40:8
I'd like to take you on a little journey. We head west on I-94, it's a five hour drive to Jamestown, North Dakota. Then we head south 12 miles. There is a gravel road we will follow for 3 miles. Hold on to the dashboard, I'm taking a hard left turn... 70 years into the past. 1953
Sydney, North Dakota might be the small town in the state: two grain elevators, a couple homes, a train depot, and the Maas store where our family sold: gasoline (from one manual pump), groceries, hardware, and a post office. In the back, living quarters for the Bill Maas family. The youngest is Judy.. in 1953 she would be 7 going on 8. Her siblings were Gladys Maas, and Ray Maas.. my father. Judy's mother is Anna Maas a former school teacher.. a one room school teacher, but now running a country store with her husband Bill. The entire operation runs on a shoestring. Without the income from the post office, the entire town might collapse. The store is tiny, "I've seen bigger living rooms." But it provides an important meeting place for all the farmers in the Sydney township. And for miles around there is nothing but wheat fields.
So in a way Judy start her life in the center of this universe. She started working in the store as soon as she could peer over the counter and make change - greeting each person who entered the store not as a customer but as a friend and neighbor. A gift she would use throughout her life.
In her teens, Judy attended school in Jamestown, where she met more people, made more friends, and acquired a Library Card.
Books were the great love in Judy's life, they filled her with excitement as she discovered and explore the world between their pages. Judy helped her mother run the Maas Store after Bill died. But after she graduated from Jamestown High School, Anna knew Judy was destined for bigger things. Judy followed her brother to North Dakota State University. Education was a passion Judy held her entire life. As late as last year, Judy was attending various lectures and exhibitions.
Once she graduated from NDSU, North Dakota could no longer hold her. Judy moved to Chicago and worked just long enough to save some money. She finished her Master's Degree in Library Science in Denver and then followed her Maas cousins to California. Judy took a job at the Long Beach Public Library.
Chicago, Denver, and Long Beach gave her the opportunities to cultivate a love of more than just Literature. Judy became a patron of Dance, Music, and Museums of every kind.
It didn't take long for Judy to start eyeing the horizon; soon she was jetting off for Europe and the Middle East. I still have a post card from Egypt.. from 1974. I couldn't image any place more exotic. Judy was traveling in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.. as a single American woman.. one year after the Yom Kippur War.
Although she loved the Middle East, and still loved traveling, Judy decided she loved her family even more. After traveling the world, Judy choose Minnesota to put down roots. She found great satisfaction in her job; especially the friends she made. This metro area gave Judy many opportunities to enjoy her passions for reading, learning, and all the arts. Nothing Judy loved more than talking up local artists. She was a true friend of Minnesota. I even got her interested in Rock Music. All I had to do was bring up Dylan, Prince, or The Replacements.. all Minnesota artists.
Judy was a wonderful aunt. She wrote me regular letters, and then after my father died, she started calling me every Sunday. Both my sister, Suzanne and I are book lovers.. we both credit Judy. I claim Judy had a stronger role with me. But Suzanne has a strong counter.. Judy also instilled Suzanne with a love of Ballet, which has been passed down to her son Tim. But I still believe I got more out of Judy than Suzanne. Every Sunday I would compare notes with Judy about books we read. She had a knack for finding some real gems. A couple times she got me so excited, I raced to the library on Monday and had the book finished before she called the next week just so I could surprise her. And then we'd have our own private book club.
You don't know how sad it is to hear the phone ring on Sunday and realize it won't be Judy. But I know she's just over the horizon.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. -Isaiah 40:8
© Craig Maas
1946ca Bill & baby Judy 9913
1946ca Judy baby stroller -A59
1946ca Judy cream cooler 9924
1946ca Judy in wash tub outside, grain elevators, blur, C20
1946ca Ray holding Judy Maas 9844
1946da Judy in store
1947ca Gladys Judy Ray outside
1947ca Judy Sydney depot 9916
1948ca Judy Gladys Ray rifle 9805
1949ca Gladys & Judy Maas pickup
1949ca Judy Maas Store pickup in Sydney, 9810
1949ca Ray Bill Anna Judy vacation 9960
1950 0618 Gladys Bill Judy Anna, blur,A34
1950ca Judy and dolls, Buzz -21
1951 0400 Ron, Judy & Marvin bb10b
1952 0713 Judy Schneekloth, Gladys, Judy -138
1952 1219 Gladys Judy classmates
1952ca Judy Ray Gladys Xmas tree -21
1952ca Judy reading 9948
1952ca Ray Gladys Clara Agnes Otto Ann Judy -21
