Julia “Judy” DeFord, cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, was welcomed into Heaven on June 22, 2026. Judy was born in Rossville, Indiana on April 14, 1937 to Robert Hackerd and Mary Faye Tansey. Judy attended Rossville schools, where she met her lifelong love Larry DeFord in elementary school. She stayed proud of her Rossville heritage, continuing to communicate and meet with her classmates from the class of 1955 until her death. Larry and Judy married on November 11, 1956. They moved to Michigantown, Indiana, where Judy worked as a secretary and was a housewife. She also spent many years working at the family business, The Sundae Parlor, in Michigantown.
Judy loved babies, children, and her family. She taught Bible School and Sunday School at Michigantown Christian Church and Normanda Christian Church. She and Larry helped with the first grade field trip for many years at Clinton Central Elementary School. Judy watched her grandchildren as well as Kreigh and JT Sloggett until they were school aged, and they and their parents John and Mary Phyl Sloggett became part of the family. She played in her bridge club monthly until her death and was a voracious reader until the end. She particularly loved reading books by David Baldacci, John Grisham, and Michael Connelly. She was also a lover of flowers– she and Larry spent many hours outside in the summers pulling weeds and watering plants in their beautiful flower beds.
Judy never let anyone’s birthday go uncelebrated. She dutifully kept a calendar that she updated every year that listed everyone’s birthday and age. She was an expert at sending cards and buying small gifts– she loved going to Hallmark and made stops at Tamarack in West Virginia for many years on their fall trip to Williamsburg. Birthday parties and holiday celebrations were held for years at their pool in the summer, at their outdoor fireplace in the fall, and at their kitchen table in the winter.
Judy also showed her love for friends and family through her generosity with food. She was a talented baker and cook and she never let anyone go hungry. Everything was made from scratch- even mashed potatoes. Her cherry, coconut cream, and pumpkin pies were particularly legendary. She also loved to make apple and pumpkin cakes in the fall. She always made fudge at Valentine’s Day, and grape salad in the summer if we were lucky.
Most importantly, Judy was a faithful and loving servant of Jesus Christ. We are heartbroken that she is no longer with us as the center of our family, but we take comfort knowing that she is reunited with Larry and is no longer in pain. We know that we will see her again someday.
Judy leaves behind her children, son Damon (wife Denise) of Michigantown, daughter Dawn Dunn (husband Lee Dunn) of Pittsboro, North Carolina, and daughter Heidi Randolph (husband Rick Randolph) of Michigantown. She is also survived by her siblings Janet Morton of Houston, Texas, Robert “Bobby” Hackerd of New Harmony, Utah, and Richard Hackerd of Rossville, Indiana and their families. She will be deeply missed by her grandchildren, Eric DeFord of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Nicole Pries (husband Kyle Pries) of Frankfort, Indiana, Greta Holmes (husband Cassius Holmes) of Jacksonville, Florida, Margo Requard (husband Jay Requard) of New York City, New York, and Ethan DeFord of Michigantown, along with special “grandsons” JT and Kreigh Sloggett and their families. She has three great-grandsons, Owen DeFord, Cassius Clay Holmes, and Benjamin Requard.
She was preceded in death by her parents and great-granddaughters Hazel and Lily DeFord.
Services will be private. Memorial donations in her honor may be made to Samaritan’s Purse to either the Operation Christmas Child or US Disaster Relief & Rebuild funds via their website https://www.samaritanspurse.org/.