Judy Joyce Agee, 72, of Ottumwa, passed away at 8:02 p.m. Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at Ridgewood Specialty Care.
The daughter of Clifton Cleave and Vera Florence Lewis Smith, she was born on December 16, 1952 in Centerville. On October 20, 1973, she was united in marriage to Arlo Lavon Agee Jr. in Downing, MO. To this union two sons, Cliff Alan and Shawn Michael were born.
Judy graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1970 and went on to Iowa Tech, graduating with a secretarial science degree. After graduation, she moved to Des Moines and worked for Employers Insurance of Wausau before her marriage to Arlo. She worked in the office at St. Joseph Hospital in Ottumwa and sold Tupperware in the evenings and weekends. She was a stay-at-home mom for several years before going back to work at Country Supply and selling Avon. She was hired as the Confidential Secretary to Sheriff Bud Erwin on February 27, 1989, while continuing to work her other two jobs. She worked at the Wapello County Sheriff Office, working under three Sheriffs, for 29 years, retiring April 6, 2018.
She is a member of the Downing Christian Church in Downing, MO, Order of Eastern Star Rose Chapter #552, O.B. Nelson Unit #3 American Legion Auxiliary, The Wapello County Genealogical Society, and the Iowa State Sheriff and Deputies Association.
Judy loved to travel and saw almost all 50 states. Her highlight was going on a cruise to Alaska with her niece, Brenda Bruner in June of 2022. She also loved to travel with her friend, Julie Smithart, and they took many wonderful vacations together. Judy enjoyed history and was always ready to stop along the road to read a historical marker, go to a battlefield, a museum, or go through an old historical house. Often Julie would call and say, “Get your pants on and let’s go!” It could be a trip to Keokuk to see the eagles fly over the Mississippi river, or a day trip to an unspecified place, but it was always fun. Judy also enjoyed genealogy research and filling in as many gaps in her family tree as possible. She would start working on a family tree late in the evening and next thing she knew, the sun was coming up. It was always special to find out someone she had known for years was a relative. As her husband Arlo always said, “If you go back far enough, we are all related.”
Surviving is her husband, Arlo; their children, Cliff (Darla Gordon) Agee of Drakesville and Shawn (Sharleen) Agee of Ottumwa; 3 grandchildren, Chance Agee of Ottumwa, Scott Agee of Drakesville and Sarah Agee of Ankeny; her brothers, Jim (Judy) Stice of Lapine, AL, Larry (Raenelle) Smith of Downing, MO; sister-in-law, Leona Stice of Carl Junction, MO; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; 3 brothers and sisters-in-law, Loral (Barbara) Stice, Robert “Bob” (Arlene) Stice and Vernon Stice; nephew, Roger Stice; great-nephew, Dakota Swedberg; step-great nephews, Ken Maddox and James Stanton; and great-great niece, Molly Jacklyn Mann.
Visitation will be open at 11 a.m. Monday, February 3rd at Reece Funeral Home with the family present to greet friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday.
Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Tuesday, February 4th at Reece Funeral Home with Pastor Rod Nelson officiating. Burial will be in Shaul Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to American Legion Auxiliary Unit #3 or Heartland Humane Society.
