Judith L. Carter

Judy Carter, 90, passed away the evening of Friday, October 10, 2025, at her home in Carbondale, Illinois.

She spent that day and the previous days being visited by friends and family who were telling stories, laughing and admiring her life. Her son Sam Carter was with her throughout the past year, and at her last breath.

Judy was born in Webster Groves (St Louis), Missouri on September 17, 1935. Her parents were Anna Marie Singer and Joe Quevreaux. She dearly loved her Mom and spent lots of time with her in the restaurant where she worked.

Judy had 3 siblings whom she always loved and who were very important to her: Patty Page, Bob Quevreaux and Davey Quevreaux.

She graduated from Saint Louis University in 1958. In the years after college, she served as a Catholic nun for almost 7 years in St Louis, teaching school. She taught at Providence Jr High in St Louis, University City Jr High in University City, MO., and at Mt Euphrasia Jr and Sr High School she served as the Principal. She left the convent to pursue her own relationship with god.

She met her eventual husband Dick Carter and moved to Boskydell south of Carbondale in 1969. She completed a Masters of Education at Southern Illinois University. She taught at various schools and programs in southern Illinois: Southern Illinois University, Vienna Correctional Center (Shawnee College),and the Hurst Children’s Home.

She married Richard (Dick) Carter in 1969 at their home on Boskydell Road. Dick had two daughters from a previous marriage, Wendy Carter and Sally Carter. Together Judy and Dick had a son, Sam Carter.

They would eventually start a business together, Carter’s Custom Framing (Originally Carter’s on Boskydell) where they procured, framed and sold fine art from local, regional, national and international artists. This was a great joy for both of them. In this time, they also wrote a book about a local artist, Herb Fink.

In 1982, Judy and Dick moved from Boskydell into Carbondale and became enamored with living next to SIU and Campus Lake.

Upon selling the art gallery, Judy returned to teaching and served as a classroom teacher at Brehm Preparatory School in Carbondale for 2 decades. Judy created strong academic relationships with the students and was able to develop a domestic and international travel program taking students to Europe, Turkey, Kenya and China over several years.

Judy also traveled extensively with her husband Dick in Europe, across China, India, Nepal, and Tibet.

While she cared for Dick over many years after her retirement, she fostered her personal relationship with art as a creator this time. Painting, photographing, using digital technology to refine images, building journals with a sewing machine, greeting cards, bookmarks, and full size prints. This was immensely rewarding for her. Her products are still for sale in a gallery with her last check coming in this past summer.

Judy continued walking her neighborhood until her last weeks, albeit just beyond the driveway. She loved her street, her neighbors and neighborhood and Carbondale. She loved reading and looking out her window at her favorite tree. She loved trees. She loved kids playing in the neighborhood. She loved sharing time with her friends, talking and laughing, mediating, and going on fun trips. She loved her husband Dick and her son Sam and all of her family and friends and expressed this consistently over the past year.

She always said she wanted to die at home, and on October 10, 2025, after her friends left and the sun went down, with her son Sam by her side, she did just that.

Ministry of Comfort lovingly entrusted to Southern Cremation and Burial Services of Murphysboro, Illinois.

A Celebration of Life for Judy will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 2-4pm at the Unitarian Church in Carbondale. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to be made to the Carbondale Public Library in her name.