The huge smile on the face of Judith Ann Stried reveals her joy in the teacher’s life she chose for herself. Born in Bloomington, Illinois, she moved to Pekin, Illinois, in 1963 and joined the faculty of the Pekin Community High School, where she began a 30-year career in the Cultural Studies and English Department, teaching Latin and English and serving as chair for a portion of that time. She earned a Masters in Teaching degree from Illinois State University in 1969. She was nearly as devoted to her beloved Chicago Cubs as she was to her students, whose activities she sponsored and whom she regularly took on summer field trips to Greece, Italy, and even Wrigley Field, all in search of the glories of an earlier time. In 2011 the Illinois Classical Conference awarded Judy its lifetime achievement award. She continued to serve as a substitute teacher long after her retirement.
Judy died on August 29, 2020 in Peoria, IL.