Judith Ann (Craig) Zook

Judith Ann (Craig) Zook, age 72, passed away peacefully on September 3, 2023, after a very short illness, at her home in Kokomo surrounded by family and friends.

Judy was born on August 25, 1951, in Lebanon, Indiana.  She was the youngest of three children, being the only daughter of Raymond Keith and Phyllis Jean Craig.  She lived most of her life in Kokomo and graduated from the first graduating class of Taylor High School in 1969.  She then attended and graduated from Indiana Business College (Kokomo).  After graduation, she taught at Indiana Business College in Kokomo, making lifelong friends with some of her students.  She was a fast typist and loved shorthand.  Judy worked as a legal secretary for Shirley and Stanley, attorneys-at-law for a few years prior to working in Howard County Superior Court 1 and Superior Court 2.  She worked with many attorneys and judges during those 20-plus years at the courthouse as a legal secretary, court reporter, and bailiff.  During that period, she met the love of her life, Mark Zook, who was also working at the Howard County Courthouse in Kokomo.  They married on May 1, 1988.  Later in life, she worked at several other local businesses in Kokomo prior to her retirement in 2012.

Judy felt so blessed when she and Mark welcomed their daughter, Andrea Jean, in October 1989.  Her family meant everything as she watched her daughter grow into an adult and then welcomed her two grandchildren later in life after her retirement.  She loved babysitting and being involved in their special programs and activities.

Judy enjoyed country music and attended many concerts and programs with her husband and daughter.  She loved being with her family and friends.  She always sent many greeting cards and lots of gift cards to make everyone feel they each were so very special to her.  As her cousin said recently, “when we talked, she made me feel I was the only person in her world.”   She made each person she met feel so special.  Judy loved life and everyone.  Before marriage, her four nephews, Matthew, Keith, Mark, and Kurt, were treated like her sons.  She loved being with all four of them since they were all born within a fourteen-month timeframe.  Judy had an extremely close bond with her aunt Virginia Branagin and her cousins were considered more like her sisters and brothers.  She kept a constant connection with all of them.

Judy is survived by her loving husband of 36 years, Mark Zook, along with her daughter, Andrea (Ian—her “favorite son-in-law) Benedict; granddaughter, Meadow Benedict; and grandson, Forrest Benedict.  She is survived by her brothers, James A. Craig (Noblesville) and Kenneth L. Craig (Kokomo); her mother-in-law, Lily Ann Zook; special nephews, Matthew A. (Kristen) Craig and Keith A. Craig; aunt, JoAnn Mullendore; along with numerous sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins, and special friends. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, along with her father-in-law, Robert C.  Zook, and nephews, Mark A. Craig and Kurtis A. Craig.

Visitation will be held from 4-7 pm Friday, September 8, 2023, at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home & Crematory, 1315 West Lincoln Road, Kokomo, Indiana. Friends may also visit with the family from 12-1 pm on Saturday at the funeral home.  Funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm Saturday, September 9, 2023, with Pastor Gary Carpenter (retired) and Pastor Daniel Stephens officiating.  Burial will follow in Albright Cemetery in Kokomo.  Donations may be given to the American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Association.  Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.  Messages of condolence may be left online at www.shirleyandstout.com. 

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