Judie Janeen Day Kinghorn

On Nov 21, 2023, our beloved, beautiful, regal, ingenious mother, grandmother, Aunt & friend; Judie Janeen Day Kinghorn; passed from this mortal plane to the next realm. She is survived by her 4 children: Kirstin Kinghorn (Bntf, UT), Kiffanie Kinghorn (Bntf, UT), Karina Kinghorn (WY), Kennedy Kinghorn (BC), & Grandson Joseph Kinghorn Tracy (Bntf, UT).

Judie was born Dec 1, 1943, to Elbert L Day & Florence Josephine (Jo) Day, while Elbert was serving in the European theater WWII. From very early age Judie displayed the characteristics which made her the remarkable woman she became. Judie was creative, eager to learn & to help, first to befriend the child who was sitting alone, funny & pretty. She was devoted to her family especially her mother Josephine & her only sibling Terry Buckles Day who was 4 years younger than Judie but was her best friend & pal til his tragic death in Vietnam in 1968. Judie attended Bountiful schools; met Gerald H Kinghorn (Sandy) at Bountiful High. They married in 1961. While Sandy went to law school, Judie perfected the art of motherhood, homemaker; she was unparalleled at multitasking somehow preparing great food, keeping a spotless home, ironing mountains of laundry but most importantly raising the children with a sense of purpose that far exceeded her young life experience in Bountiful UT.

Like her mother Josephine, Judie loved to learn & teach the children that an open mind & open book opened the doors of the world. Judie completed her high school ed at night school. After she & Sandy divorced in 1971, she went on to attend the U of U part time with an emphasis on Architectural Psychology. She later took astrology classes to refine her long-time interest in astrology. She found she had a singular ability to read & interpret charts; her insight & skill at this earned her a steady stream of requests for her readings. She enjoyed answering questions & discussing astrology throughout her life.

The home was often filled with music of every genre; the Beatles, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Kingston Trio, Dave Brubeck were some of her favorites. Judie never said no to an animal that was brought home. From dogs, cats, lambs, goats, ducks, geese, rabbits they were all taken care of lovingly. Karina & Judie even rescued an injured baby crow & nursed it back to health. She was given a scorpion as a gift once & was fascinated by it. Her unpredictable sense of humor was always full groan; with her dry Irish wit an original pun or successful April Fools prank was a triumph. Bookcases lined 3 walls of the children’s “playroom’, music, voice, dance & sewing lessons were not just hobbies but also skills. As children learned self-reliance depended on 2 basics; having a foundation of values: honesty, good work ethic, sense of right & wrong & good education, marketable skills. To have a mother such as Judie that held them in high esteem encouraged them to be individual thinkers but to stay close to each other was a priceless gift.

Anyone who had the luck to know Judie (& have her like you), learned quickly of her creative generosity. She would begin an automatic mental assessment of what they might need or like; she had an instinct for knowing a person better than they knew themselves at times. Her talent & creativity were a marvel, as were her knowledge of antiques & collectibles. She could turn straw into gold; refurbishing almost anything to make it beautiful or useful again; a practice the children live by.

For holidays there were always amazing gifts picked for each person’s tastes all purchased on a very tight budget. Her gifts of floral design, home décor were other examples of her ingenious creativity.. Clothing, hair, makeup were all fair game for the artist in her. Her generous spirit & example wasn’t limited to material things; Judie would share her knowledge & life experience also.

Because of her dad Elbert’s' 100% disability from his service in WWII & the loss of her only brother in Vietnam Judie had a strong sense of civic duty & would have the kids involved as well..gathering petition signatures, attending protests, voting, and participating in city council meetings were all considered a part of life.

Judie was a very spiritual person; tho not in the traditional sense. Teaching the children a connection with a higher power; that everyone’s prayers are heard; was another gift the Kinghorn children were given by their mother. Her lessons in generosity were also part of family life. She & Grandma Jo would spend many hours cleaning, mending, fixing up needed items for sub-Santa drives, Navajo Elders & more.

Judie was beautiful inside & out. She displayed these values throughout her life; never stopped learning, creating, sharing & participating. She had a way of making you want to talk to her, ask her questions; get her opinion. Missing a couple of days without at least a phone call (or 2 or 3) with her; if not seeing her; was like not eating; a great emptiness is felt inside us now. Watch the night sky for the most brilliant shooting star with the longest tail; it’s our beloved one & only Judie.

Interment at the Centerville City Cemetery, 650 East 400 South, Centerville, Utah, on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., procession from Russon Bountiful Mortuary, 295 North Main Street, Bountiful, Utah, at 1:45 p.m. Celebration of Life- TBA.