Judith "Judy" Moser, 83, a resident at Edgewood Retirement Community in West Des Moines, died peacefully in her sleep, with her family by her side, on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, after succumbing to Alzheimer's disease.

Born Judith Lee Justine Sylwester on September 1, 1940, at Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames, Iowa, Judy was the daughter of Alice Victoria Brogan and Erhardt Paul "Dutch" Sylwester. Judy graduated from Ames High School in 1958, receiving a BA degree in education from Iowa State University; she then completed her student teaching at the John Tracy Clinic in Los Angeles, CA. For five years, she worked as a K-5 Deaf & Hearing-Impaired teacher in the Arlington Heights School District near Chicago, followed by two years as a teacher at Longfellow and Lincoln Elementary schools, within the Waterloo Community Schools.

Judy married Gordon Lou Moser on February 11, 1968, at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waterloo, Iowa. She became a homemaker, where she raised her two daughters Jennifer and Kelly, and supported her husband's endeavors as the owner and operator at Porta-Vet Industries, Inc. Judy loved to stay active so volunteering in the community played a large role in her life. She was a PTA board member with Waterloo Community Schools, a meal server with the Salvation Army, a blood drive volunteer with the Red Cross, a troop leader for the Girl Scouts of America, and a NICU baby ward volunteer at Allen Memorial Hospital. Judy played an active role at Zion Lutheran Church as an event organizer, a Sunday School and Bible School teacher, a baptism banner-maker, and a member of the Women's Circle. She was known to check in on her elderly friends, take care of friends' homes when they left town and bring food over for friends in need.

Judy and Gordie enjoyed entertaining guests at their cabin overlooking the Mississippi River in DeSoto, Wisconsin. They rarely missed NCAA wrestling tournaments or the Drake Relays. Avid travelers, they cruised the Panama Canal, explored Alaska and Hawaii, took overnight trains across the country, and slept in every US state. Judy once visited her daughters in Japan and later went on a genealogy tour with her siblings in England. For twenty years, she arranged annual trips with her "Ames High School Women of '58" classmates which included stays on west coast islands, monasteries in the North, New England beach houses, Italian villas, and Scottish castles.

A nature lover, Judy could tell you the name of every bird, flower, tree, bush, or weed. She grew up on an acreage with large vegetable and flowers gardens and replicated that landscape for her own family. Besides gardening, other hobbies included canning pears, pickles, and salsa, making jam, and collecting maple syrup. She enjoyed quilting, sewing costumes, antiquing, ceramic-painting, cake-decorating, doll house furniture-collecting, reading books about WWII, seeing Les Misérables in the theater, going to movies based on true stories, cheering on the Cyclones, beautifully playing the piano by ear, reciting practically every verse from the church hymnal, starting every day with an aerobics class, and spending time with her grandsons. She also found time to take care of many pets over the years including a Toy Poodle, five cats, five Labrador Retrievers, newts, guinea fowl, and exotic fish. Judy's motto was "Give it away," and she will be remembered for her generosity on birthdays, weddings, graduations, hospital stays, and funerals.

Judy was preceded in death by her parents; her brother John Sylwester; her husband of 45 years, Gordie Moser. Left to cherish her memory is her sister Helen (Paul) Haley of Coon Valley, Wisconsin; daughters Jennifer Lynn Moser of San Diego, CA, and Kelly (Byron) Militello of Urbandale, IA; four grandsons Mitchell, Logan, Mason, and Beau Militello.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, December 2nd at 11:00 AM at Locke at Tower Park, 4140 Kimball Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will follow services at Waterloo Memorial Park Cemetery, 3430 W. 4th Street, Waterloo, IA. The family would like to invite those in attendance to join them for a luncheon and reception back at Locke at Tower Park, at the conclusion of the burial.