Dennis L. Judd

Dennis L. Judd, 71, of Columbia City, IN passed away unexpectedly of natural causes Tuesday morning, January 28, 2020 at his home. Born on February 24, 1948 in Columbia City, he was the oldest son of Glen and Evelyn (Hartman) Judd.

As he attended Marshall Middle School, he loved sports and took care of the school's score books, played drums in the school band and learned to play the accordion. He graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1966. He went on to join the U.S. Army and served during the Vietnam War.

While in the service he would come back to Columbia City on the weekends and managed the Penguin Point/ Parker's Drive-In. It was there where a "Car Hop" caught his eye. It took a little time for Denny to grow on her, but eventually they decided to spend the rest of their lives together. On June 24, 1972, he married Cynthia A. Hursey at Columbia City First Church of God by Rev. Hubert Miller.

After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1970, he worked at Essex from 1971 until 1978 and then went to Reelcraft, retiring in 2008. Denny was a member of the American Legion Post 98 and served as a Columbia City Councilman, Board of Works & Public Safety and was a Common Council President.

Denny loved all his grandchildren and was very proud of his daughter and son. He and his daughter would attend several NASCAR races together in Florida and during March Madness, Denny would spend Thursday afternoons through Friday night or Saturday afternoon at his son's house watching the games together. He was a diehard Bobby Knight and IU basketball fan. Denny would attend several games a year at IU and thought Bobby Knight was the best coach! He liked watching all sports and was also a fan of the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Red Wings. Denny also enjoyed watching wrestling, playing solitaire, Jeopardy and going to eat at Big G's every day. He was a huge collector of comic books and baseball cards ever since he was a little kid and had a collection of over a 1,000 bobble heads.

A hard worker, Denny did what was needed to provide for his family. He was strong willed, had a colorful personality and was loving in his own way. He will be greatly missed by his loving family.

Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Cindy Judd; daughter, Misty Hart of Ocala, FL; son, Clinton (Stacey) Judd of Warsaw; six grandchildren, Cody (Jasmine) Judd, Brad (Emily) Bush Jr., Chaz Bush, Madison Hart, Carson Judd and Reagan Judd; a great-granddaughter, Aaliyah; and two brothers. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A gathering of family and friends will be 2-7 p.m. Thursday, January 30, 2020 at DeMoney-Grimes Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Fraternal Order of Police or the American Legion Post 98. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send family condolences.