On June 11, 2023, Jess Max Judd Sr. passed away at his home in Carlton, Washington. His son and two daughters were with him.
Max was born Aug. 28, 1929, in Beaver, Oklahoma, to Charles and Lucretia (Brown) Judd. He was the youngest of four children. In the late 1930s the family moved to Washington and purchased property in Ostrander, Cowlitz County. Max attended school in Kelso where he enjoyed high school sports, lettering in football and excelling at boxing. Here he met his future wife, Wanda Rae Breuing, and after graduation they were married Oct. 15, 1949, in Kelso.
The young couple built their first home on Ostrander Creek, near his parents, and in 1951 welcomed their first child, daughter Susan, and in 1953 Max Jr. was born. While living in Ostrander, Max worked in the timber industry and also had a small charter fishing boat, the “Wanda Rae.” The family enjoyed fishing and camping at Chinook Bay during the summer.
In 1962 Max moved the family to Carlton after purchasing the Walt Nicholson farm where he raised hay and had a small apple orchard located on what is now the Carlton post office and motel. In 1964 daughter Terri joined the family.
In addition to farming Max often worked in logging, being very adept at falling a tree right on the mark. He also drove logging truck, plowed snow for the state and worked at the U.S. Forest Service driving equipment for the roads department. He served on the school board, belonged to the grange and ran for Okanogan County Commissioner. He enjoyed raising a garden every year and his sweet corn was legend.
Max had a lifelong passion for fishing. He liked to fish the rivers but even more so he liked to ride to smaller lakes off the beaten path just to see if there were fish. He put a nice venison in the locker every fall and, until his knees began to slow him down, was impossible to keep up with on foot. He always admired a good horse and took pride in raising some nice ones. When team roping became popular in the valley Max allocated a corner of his property, at the junction of Texas Creek and Highway 153, for an arena and corrals.
Max enjoyed wildlife watching and as he became less mobile would past the time gazing through the dining room window with a pair of binoculars, monitoring the mountain across the river from the comfort of his favorite chair. This year he was excited to have several sightings of a white deer, a creature considered to be of sacred significance in many cultures.
Friends and neighbors were always welcome at the Judd home and Max never failed to entertain with humor. He could relate to people of all ages and walks of life, always having a story to share and any story worth telling was worth improving on. He was dearly loved and we all will miss him so very much.
Max is survived by his sister Betse Judd Miller of Longview, son Jess Max Jr., daughters Susan (Jake) Pollman and Terri (Mike) Bach, grandchildren Wes Flagg and Lisa Flagg, great-grandchildren Hayden, Bailey and Wyatt Flagg, nephews Mike (Tina Harvey) Judd and Dell (Jackie) Judd, nieces Lynn Judd, Laurie Judd and Liz (Jim) Holde, grandniece Katie (Eric) Haglund, grandnephews Ethan Judd, Evan (Rebecca) Judd, and Matt Holde, and many great grand nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife Wanda, his parents Charlie and Lou, brothers Elvin (Helen) Judd and Charlie (Barbara) Judd, nephew Steven Judd and niece Janis Judd Vince.
A celebration of life will be held in October at the family home in Carlton.
