Judith Marie Niblett-Christopher, IL

Judith Marie Niblett, 82, passed away peacefully at home on July 11, 2026.

Judy was born on September 21, 1943, to Charles and Dora (Medvrich) McGhee. She grew up one of eight children and knew firsthand what it was like to have very little. Perhaps because of that, she spent her life making sure the people she loved always had plenty. She married Ronald Niblett on August 3, 1961, and they spent nearly 59 years together before his death in 2020.

Judy was the true matriarch of her family, the glue that held everyone together. She will be remembered for her hospitality, her incredible cooking, and her unwavering love for her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Lovingly known as “JuJu” or “Nana” to the many little ones she cared for over the years, Judy had a gentle, nurturing presence that made people feel safe and welcome. She was soft-spoken but fiercely stubborn, with a quick wit and a playful sense of humor. She loved teasing the people she cared about most.

If you knew Judy, you probably heard her brag about her grandkids. They were her “pride and joy,” and she never missed an opportunity to celebrate them, whether they had a good report card, won a ball game, performed in the band, started college, or welcomed a new baby into the family. She loved babies and devoted many years of her life to caring for little ones, both family and friends alike. She also had a way of making all of her grandchildren’s friends feel like family.

No one ever left Judy’s house hungry. She was known for cooking elaborate dinners every night, and it became a family joke that she always made enough food to feed an army. Her fried chicken and perfectly made gravy became family favorites that no one will ever be able to recreate. Her home had an open-door policy. No one knocked, they just walked in. There was always a fresh pitcher of sweet tea, a hot meal on the table, and room for one more.

Judy and Ron shared nearly 59 years of marriage. They spent much of that time lovingly teasing and bickering with one another, and neither of them would have had it any other way. When Ron was getting on her nerves, she’d tell him to head to the Legion, often sending him with a plate of food for one of his buddies.

She spent her life taking care of others. Whether it was slipping her grandkids a little money for candy at the concession stand, handing them gas money when they were older, sending them home with bags of chips and toilet paper as young adults, or making sure everyone had dinner before they left, caring for people was simply who she was.

Judy and Ron created countless memories for their grandchildren through cherished family traditions, including Christmas Eve parties, Fourth of July fireworks, and annual trips to the pumpkin patch. She never missed a ball game, band performance, graduation, or milestone. During the summer, she and Ron loved tending their garden, and nearly every meal included fresh vegetables they had grown.

Judy was one of the hardest-working people you could meet. She spent the years working at the Maid Rite, Bowlin’s Foodland, Della’s Cafe, and Bates Campground. If you stopped in, chances are you’d leave with a full cup of coffee and the latest gossip.

She took great pride in her home. Her family joked that she vacuumed so often she wore out the carpets. She loved nightly baths, romance novels, the Game Show Network, and playing solitaire. She watched every episode of The Golden Girls so many times she could practically recite them by heart. She had a sweet tooth and never turned down Dove chocolates, cinnamon candy, ice cream bars, Pepsi, or a Hostess cupcake. She never passed up the chance to play a claw machine in hopes of winning a stuffed animal for one of her grandkids, and she also enjoyed scratch-off tickets and the occasional slot machine.

In her younger years, Judy bowled in a league, loved playing BINGO, and attended beauty school, becoming the unofficial hairstylist for her family for many years.

More than anything, Judy will be remembered for making people feel loved. She showed her love through home-cooked meals, quiet acts of generosity, unwavering support, and simply being there.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Dora McGhee; her husband, Ronald Niblett; her brothers, Bob, Jimmy, Larry, Charles, her sisters, Faye and Tiny; and an infant brother who was stillborn.

She is survived by her children, Lisa Murphy, Tim Niblett, Mark Niblett, and Crystal Dagner (Scott); her grandchildren, Brandi Adams (Taylor), Ashley Swon (Adam), Mathew Niblett (Kayla), Sabrina Mendez, Lindsey Niblett (John), Alexis Murphy, Destiny Niblett, and Cole and Levi Dagner; and her beloved great-grandchildren, Triston, Abby, Piper, Alexis, Kaiden, Myla, Jaden, Daniel, Avery, and Maya, as well as her sister, Dorothy. She is also survived by a special niece Suzanne Crain and special girls Bailey and Reagan Gilbert.

Her family will miss her dearly, but her legacy will live on whenever they gather around the dinner table, tend a garden, celebrate the traditions she and Ron created, or care for others with the same generosity and unconditional love that defined her life. In accordance with her wishes, Judy will be cremated, and no services will be held.

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