Judith Marie "Judy" (Burns) Andrews

Stevensville - Judy Andrews passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 20th in her home just hours after having a long visit with her daughter Lisa and with her beloved cats, dogs and her husband there.

Judy was born Judith Marie Burns to her father Emmett Burns and her mother Elizabeth (Klockare) Burns in Great Falls, MT on January 25th,1944. The family moved to Garrison, MT when Judy was quite young and then later moved to Deer Lodge, MT where she attended grade school through the seventh grade. She spent her fourth grade year in Whitehall, MT on her grand-parents farm and attended school in Whitehall. She had many fond memories of the year she spent in Whitehall. In 1957, the family relocated to Missoula, MT where her father had purchased the City Center Motel. She completed the 8th grade at Missoula’s Central School and attended high school at Missoula County High School where she graduated in 1962. After graduating from high school, she went to Spokane, WA to attend Kinman Business College. While there she met Ray Lahna who was an airman stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. They married and had a daughter, Lisa Rae Lahna, in 1963. Her husband got transferred to McChord AFB so the family moved to Tacoma, WA. Judy loved how green Tacoma was year round. In 1969 she gave birth to another daughter, Lori Ann Lahna who only survived for four days. Shortly after, Ray got sent to Viet Nam for duty and Judy moved back to Missoula with her daughter Lisa. She worked helping her parents with the motel and was a waitress at a restaurant called the Pink Poodle. One of the regulars there came in with a few friends and they all ordered lunch. When Judy brought their order, she couldn't carry all of them at once. One of the men, Gino Brochetti, asked her where his tuna sandwich was, thinking she had forgotten to bring it. She pointed to the warming shelf and said it's right there and I'll bring it. He then asked her if she would like to have a job as a travel agent. She didn’t know there was such a job or what it was but said sure. He told her to be at his office in the morning. She went and he showed her a few things and then told her he was going to coffee and left. So began a thirty seven year career as a travel agent during which she traveled to forty-one different countries. Her grandson, upon hearing this story, told her “You went from tuna to travel Nana”. She met her current husband Billy in 1984 and they started dating in the late winter and spring of 1985. They were married on September 20th, 1985. In 1987, they bought a house north of Stevensville, MT in what she referred to as the "beautiful Bitterroot valley”. In the years they’ve lived there, Judy gave a home to 16 dogs and probably around 20 or more cats. Her dad used to say that she would have a humane society at her house.

Lisa gave Judy and Billy a grandson, Brandon, on January 11, 2002. The family spent many weekends camping where Brandon would take his Nana on imaginary road trips in the car. She retired in 2006 and began watching Brandon during the day until he turned ten and informed her that he didn’t need a babysitter anymore and she was fired. She enjoyed all the time she got to spend with him and was very proud of him.

Judy is survived by her daughter Lisa Rae Lahna Stevens, her grandson Brandon Michael Stevens, her husband, William “Billy” Andrews, a sister, Linda Ault and her husband Jim, nephews Jeff, Ken and Emmett Ault, niece Larissa Williams and their families and a nephew Nathan Burns and his wife Keri and their two children, Levi and Lizzie. She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter Lori, her brother Jim “Jimmy” Burns and his wife Mary. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.whitesittfuneralhome.com.

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