Judy Pack Obituary

Judy Kay Daniels Pack, 81, left us on January 31, 2025, while in her home of 35 years in Holbrook, Arizona. She was known for her warmth, selflessness, and ability to make you feel valued and seen. Born in Malad, Idaho on October 17, 1943, Judy entered the world as the fourth of nine children belonging to Ralph and Lola Jean (Jones) Daniels. Her siblings fondly reminisce about their sister making them feel loved through road trips, dates to the movies, and late nights talking in bed when they should have been asleep.

Embracing her parents' work ethic, she graduated from Utah State University in art education–the first college graduate in her family. Judy also chose to serve a mission for her church in the Tallahassee, Florida LDS mission. She went on to teach in Malad (where she lived with and cared for her grandmother with dementia) and later, in Chinle, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. After that experience, she worked for Utah’s migrant education program that helped migrant children access quality education, highlighting her adventurous spirit and desire to serve others. 

At the age of 28, Judy met Bud Pack at a singles dance that she almost didn’t attend; he said she had great legs. They married in March of 1972, and she instantly gained four bonus children. Over the next few years, they added six more children to their growing family. She always made time for those she loved, from baking bread bears with her children and then grandchildren, to creating fun “summer school” activities that made the break from school full of wonder, with a curriculum of oil painting, outdoor cooking, and sewing. During those years, she stayed home to raise her kids, only returning to work full time once her youngest started school. At that time, she also went back to school herself to get certified to teach elementary education. She dedicated herself to her craft, always striving to do more to better meet her students' needs. 

Through the years, she actively volunteered in the community and at church. She served on the Arizona Commission on the Arts, served as Relief Society president multiple times (frequently making and delivering food to those in need), and served two missions, together with Bud, in her golden years: in Lagos, Nigeria and in Palmyra, New York. She mentioned at least once that having her children was the hardest thing she had ever done, but motherhood was also the most rewarding. Even in the past few years with her memory fading, she was filled with light–getting down on the ground to play with her grandchildren and filling the room with her laughter.

Surviving family members include her sweetheart Vernon “Bud” Pack, children Tom (Kathleen) Pack, Sherri (Lee) Hill, Gerri Pack, Sarah (Daren) Palmer, Heidi (Steve) Hunsaker, Michael (Janene) Pack, Joseph (Karina) Pack, Amy (Jed) Stephensen, Holly Pack, and Amber Pack, nearly 40 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, her eight siblings, and many more nieces, nephews, and inlaws. All of whom she loved more than all the stars in the Heavens. 

Her funeral will be held at the LDS church in Holbrook, AZ on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:00am, with a viewing at 10:00am. The graveside service will take place in Malad, Idaho on February 15, 2025.

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