The world lost a beloved, kind-hearted soul when Judith “Judy” E. Masonbrink, 78, passed away peacefully surrounded in love by her family on Wednesday, September 25th in Fairway, Kansas. If you were so fortunate to have known her, you knew that she lived courageously with love and compassion. 

Judy was born on March 10th, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of John G. Eshkon, Sr. and Stella (Zakaras) Eshkon. Judy grew up in Berwyn, Illinois where she attended Immaculate Heart of Mary High School in Westchester. She attended the University of Illinois at Navy Pier and then transferred downstate to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she graduated with an undergraduate degree in elementary education. After teaching three years in LaGrange, she returned to U of I where she earned a master’s degree in school counseling. It was during this time that she met her future husband, R.C. Masonbrink. Judy and R.C. were married on June 17th, 1972 in Berwyn, Illinois. 

Judy demonstrated love and kindness for all by connecting with people, not only through her life’s work as a mother and counselor but also through small gestures. She would ask thoughtful and thought-provoking questions of people, including strangers, because she genuinely wanted to connect and know them, to the embarrassment of her children as teenagers. She often would do big and small acts of kindness for her people to show how much she cared. As a mother, she leaves a lasting legacy of unwavering love and support for her three children. This allowed each of them to uniquely thrive and positively impact the world, according to the values she instilled in them. 

Judy was one of the most compassionate of souls. She would deeply sense when someone was in pain, suffering and in need of support and was creative in her ability to provide it. She would often write thoughtful cards, give gifts, send flowers or just show up to support her friends and family in need. Judy’s way of giving was through emotional presence, including quiet listening, encouraging messages, and a notable absence of criticism or judgment. Judy lived these values personally and professionally. She spent 20 years giving to children as an elementary school teacher and counselor, primarily in the Shawnee Mission School District. Upon her retirement from education, Judy then served as a volunteer coordinator at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where she continuously supported the needs of patients and families who were suffering. 

Judy had a strong love for beauty, art and creativity. She volunteered at the Kemper Museum of Art, where she passionately learned about the artists and the exhibits to then share with her group tours for people of all ages. She particularly loved the art of flowers. Later in life, she developed her own artistic craft by cultivating and preserving flowers to then transform them into beautiful cards to share with others, which she also sold at the Kemper and other gift shops around town. She adored spending time with her family in the great outdoors including frequent travel to many beautiful places, especially Crested Butte, Colorado which became a treasured sanctuary to the entire Masonbrink family. Judy found great joy in the simplicity of walking which was her daily ritual of health and meditation. Though exactly how many miles will remain unknown, she logged many across her years of daily power walks, pup walks, and hikes in the mountains.

Judy is survived by her spouse, R.C. Masonbrink, daughters Leah Vomhof (Arlan) and Dr. Abbey Masonbrink, and son Adam Masonbrink, along with a sister Jane (Greg) Vercellotti. Judy was preceded in death by her parents, John and Stella, and siblings Mary (the late Mike) Magmer and John G. Eshkon, Jr.  

We will celebrate Judy’s life with a visitation held at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Roeland Park, Kansas on Monday, October 7th from 5:30-7:00 PM. There will be a funeral mass at St. Agnes on Tuesday, October 8th at 10:30 AM with a lunch reception at Milburn Country Club to follow. A private family burial will be held at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri to honor her life at a later date.

  In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to either the KU Cancer Center, via KU Endowment, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Mail Stop 3012, Kansas City, KS 66160. Online contributions may be made at www.kuendowment.org/give. Please indicate that donations are for the Judith Masonbrink memorial. Or they can be made to the Kemper Museum of Art (https://www.kemperart.org/).

To honor Judy’s memory, we encourage those who loved her to engage in conversation with a new person, write to a friend or loved one, or go for a walk and appreciate the beauty around you.