John B. “Juddy” Judkins, age 85, of Adrian, returned to his Lord and Savior on Friday, January 9, 2026, at home, surrounded by his family and under the care of Hospice of Lenawee. John was born on August 11th, 1940, in Monroe, MI to James C. and Elizabeth (Lyndall) Judkins. He married Catherine A. Duncan at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Blissfield, MI, on September 15th, 1961. She preceded him in death on December 26th, 2017. John was known by many names such as “Juddy”, “Gus”, “JB”, “Coach”, Dad, and of course his proudest title was “Papa”, to his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He also enjoyed being “Grand Paw” to several of his fur grandchildren. John was a Independent Insurance Agent, owning his own business, Judkins Insurance Agency, for well over 40 years, prior to his retirement in 2005. He was recognized as the Rookie Agent of the Year with Motorist Mutual Insurance Company, during his first year, which earned him and Cathy a trip to Hawaii. One of John’s passions was coaching youth and young men in his favorite sport, Baseball. John coached several levels of youth baseball in Tecumseh from youth Major League, Pony League, Senior League, Legion Baseball, and was a Junior Varsity Baseball Coach and Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach at Tecumseh High School. He also coached for two seasons as the Baseball Coach at Adrian College. He was proud to be an Assistant Coach of the 1981 Tecumseh High School Varsity State Runner Up Baseball team. John was also involved as a High School Football and Basketball Official.
John was a person who truly never met a stranger, and he would find someone to talk with in just about any sitting or location he was in, whether he knew them or not. He attended Jasper Bible Church and was a past member of the Association of Independent Agents. He was a lifelong Michigan Wolverine fan, as well as an Adrian College, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers fan. John enjoyed golf, fishing, hunting and he bowled for several years in the Ten Pin Alley Wednesday Night League. John continued his love of sports, playing Englewood Florida Senior League Softball with the “Orange Crush” for several years while wintering in Florida where he won league MVP in 2022. He was member of the Saturday morning “Awesome, Stupendous, Breakfast Club” at the Tecumseh Big Boy. John’s greatest joy was spending time with his family and friends, especially his grandsons and great grandchildren. He always tried to attend as many activities for his sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren, all the way up to watching his great grandson Connor play hockey.
John is survived by his two sons, Gregory (Karol) Judkins, and Timothy (Shelley) Judkins of Adrian; grandsons Christopher (Samantha) Judkins, and Kyle (Riley) Judkins; great grandchildren, Connor and McKenzie Judkins; two brothers David (Alicia) Judkins of Houston, TX, and Gary (Wanda) Judkins of Adrian; two sisters Patricia Ellsworth of CA, and Kathleen (Richard) Schultz of Bowling Green, OH; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. In addition to his wife, Cathy, he is preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Keith Judkins, Thomas Judkins and James “Manley” Judkins; and special friend Helen Tanner.
John’s family would like to thank the amazing and caring team at Hospice of Lenawee for all the care they provided to John. The family would especially like to thank Dr. Voorhees, Mannie, Andrew, Corie, Deanna, Danielle, Ashley and Shayna for all of their care and support of the family as well.
Funeral services for John will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, Adrian with Pastor Bruce Jewett officiating. Burial will be in Palmyra Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 16, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, Adrian. The family asks that you feel free to wear any Michigan Wolverine, Adrian College Bulldogs, Detroit Red Wing, Detroit Tigers, or Tecumseh Indians attire that you wish to John’s visitation.
Memorial contributions may be given to Hospice of Lenawee or the Derek Nahabedian Scholarship Fund. Friends can express sympathies to the family online by visiting the tribute wall at www.marryfh.com. Arrangements have been made with the guidance of the Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, Adrian.