Judith Ellen Bergh was freed from the grips of Alzheimer’s disease on February 20, 2025, when she died peacefully in her sleep. Raised in Lansing, Michigan, Judy was one of four daughters born to Kenneth and Marjorie Fea. She joined the Catholic Church as a teen, and her faith defined everything she did. After attending Nazareth College, she became a Sacramentine Sister in Conway, Michigan. Even when it was determined her vocation lay elsewhere, she continued to faithfully say her daily office of prayers as well as attend daily Mass and weekly Eucharistic Adoration until dementia robbed her of the ability. She put her faith into action with her willingness to help whenever and wherever needed. Several years after leaving the convent, she met her husband, Max and became a devoted wife and mother. Always an extrovert, Judy loved nothing more than visiting with old friends and making new ones. She worked as a bank teller early in life and was a successful district manager for Avon for many years.
Judy was preceded in death by her husband, Max; two children, lost in miscarriages; son-in-law, Tom LaPonsie; sisters, Patricia Stitzel, Elaine Crippen; and her parents. She is survived by her children, Joseph Bergh, Maryalene LaPonsie; grandchildren, Madeline, Donald, Max, Neil, Grace LaPonsie; sister, Elizabeth Whitesel; half-brother, Robert Fea; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will take place on Friday, February 28, 2025, at Roth-Gerst Funeral Home, 305 N. Hudson, Lowell, Michigan 49331. from 4-7pm with the Rosary said at 6:30pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will occur Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 11am at St. Mary Church, 402 Amity St., Lowell MI 49331. Interment will follow at Assumption BVM cemetery in Belmont, weather permitting.
For those considering a memorial gift, the family suggests St. Mary Church in Lowell, St. Patrick School in Parnell, 4333 Parnell Ave NE, Ada, MI 49301; or the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601. The family thanks the staff of Maple Ridge Manor’s memory care unit for the kind, compassionate and dignified care they provide.
Thank you, Lord, for 89 years with Judy. May perpetual light shine upon her now.