Judith Mary Gust
GUST, SCHAFFER, REGAN, MCCOWN, KIRK, FORSYTH, STORANDT, HUSSY, CUNNINGHAM, WIGGINS, LEMMONS, MEIDL
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 9/16/2022 at 11:25:35
Judith Mary Gust died peacefully on the morning of September 7, 2022. She was born with a twin sister, Geraldine, on July 31, 1938, the fifth and sixth of ten children of Jack and Ann (Regan) Schaffer in St. Paul, MN. Judi graduated from Holy Trinity High School in New Ulm, MN in 1956.
She began her college life at the Sisters of St. Joseph School of Nursing in Grand Forks, ND. Later, Judi graduated with a BS degree in Nursing at Mankato State College in 1975.
Judi married Jacob Gust in 1958 and had six children.
In 1980, she married Robert McCown.
Judi’s nursing career spanned 1975 to 2000 as staff nurse, head nurse and certified surgical oncology nurse at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
As an oncology nurse, many patients would seek Judi out for her outstanding care. Because of Judi’s commitment to her patients, there were many days where she didn’t get to her lunch until on her way home. In one case, Judi accompanied a patient back to her home of Jakarta, Indonesia to teach the local medical staff her chemotherapy regimen.
Judi belonged to the Eastern Iowa Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society. She attended yearly conferences throughout the country.
Judi dearly loved family gatherings, celebrating holidays (especially Thanksgiving Day) and birthdays with good food, fun games and interesting discussions. She passionately loved hiking in the mountains of the Southwest with her beloved husband Bob. Judi was especially close with her twin sister Geraldine, talking together on the phone daily.
During Bob’s long battle with Parkinson’s disease, Judi and Bob always attended the Iowa City Parkinson Support Group meetings. Judi eventually took over the leadership role of this support group.
For those that knew Judi, all would comment on her awesome cooking. Many delicious meals included the fruit and vegetables from her garden. Her homemade breads and cinnamon rolls were gourmet. She bought the highest quality foods and ingredients, much coming from co-op stores. Judi and her children often worked at these co-ops, sharing this commitment to quality food, community and hard work.
Judi was a docent at the University of Iowa Art Museum from 2000 to 2008. She loved learning about art and audited numerous art history courses for many years. Judi was also a big advocate for early childhood reading. She volunteered at libraries where she would lead reading groups with young children. This love of reading spilled over to her grandchildren who received many books for birthdays and holidays. Thank you to the staff at Prairie Life Books for the wonderful recommendations you gave her.
Judi is survived by: her children, David Gust and wife Patsy of Harwood, ND; Renee Gust of West Fargo, ND; Sarah Kirk and husband Mark of Clive, IA; Jeffery Gust and wife Linda of Clive, IA; Jerome Gust of Hastings, MN; Neil Gust and partners Brian Forsyth and Bill Storandt of Brooklyn, NY; stepchildren, John McCown of Iowa City, IA; Anne Hussy and husband Chris of Rowayton, CT; 11 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; her sisters Geraldine Cunningham of Chicago, IL, Ann Wiggins of Burnsville, MN and Monica Schwartz of Phoenix, AZ.
Judi was preceded in death by her husband Robert McCown, parents John and Ann, brothers Greg, Patrick, John and Jim, and sisters Mary Alice Lemmons and Beth Meidl.
A Memorial Service will be at Lensing Funeral Home, Iowa City, on Monday, September 26, at 12:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the University of Iowa Foundation in support of the University Art Museum or Iowa Public Radio.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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