As Judy tells people, she was born and bred in Mt. Clemens, Michigan and is from a family of five children. She
has spent all but 16 of her 61 years in the Mt.Clemens area, and all but the seven spent in Minnesota, in Macomb County.  Her paternal family, the LaCroix side, has resided in the Mt. Clemens/Macomb County area since before the Civil War.

            Judy holds an Associate degree in General Studies with a minor in Graphic and Commercial Art from Macomb County College and a BS in Architectural Interior Design from Art Institute International of Minnesota. While in Minnesota Judy spent six months working on historic preservation and historic interior design projects at the Ramsey House, the premier house museum owned by the Minnesota Historical Society. She also is one of less than 250 people worldwide to hold the level of ASPM (Accredited Staging Professional, Master).

            Over the years her varied interests have shaped her life.  Judy has pursued many hobbies from painting to gardening, from photography to genealogy, in addition to many other arts and crafts.  Her volunteer work and club activities cross from soccer and scouting to Womans clubs and Garden clubs. Her professional pursuits have been in the wide field of Graphic Art and more recently Interior Design.   Then of course there were the 8 years as a volunteer, including four and a half years as President of Friends of the Octagon House, a life consuming passion. 

            Judy and her husband Paul have been married over 40 years and have raised two sons.  The oldest, Paul III, lives in Ludington, MI with his wife Jennifer and their two sons Logan Michael and Colin Thomas.  The younger son, Patrick, lives in the mountains of northern CA with his wife Mareike and their three children Amy, Finn Robin and Luka Sylvan.

            Judy and Paul currently reside in Bruce and although “retired” they keep busy with traveling, theater going, gardening and volunteering. Judy is on the Board of Directors of Samaritan House and on the Christian Service Committee for Sts. John and Paul Catholic Church.  She is also a member of the Romeo Garden Club, Victorian Society of America, Historic Memorials Organization, and is a volunteer at the Starkweather Art and Cultural Center. All of these are in addition to her professional affiliations with American Society of Interior Designers and The Interior Design Society.  Judy’s passion for architecture and history are combined in her greatest dream which is to complete her MA in Historic Preservation and since every year brings a new horizon, one never knows.