Judith "Judy" Loye (Quinby) Esser was born on September 5, 1945 in Great Bend, KS to Dr. Byron and Ruby Quinby.  Judy grew up in Larned, KS with a love for animals and spending time horseback as much as possible.  In her later years of school, she was involved with band, music, and many other high school activities.  She had many fond memories of the Gyp Hills in Barber County, KS.  Camping with horses in the Sun City area was the highlight of her summers.

After graduation, Judy decided to continue her education at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS.  Thankfully a young man, who had been raised in Barber County also attended the same college.  They had so much in common before they ever met.  Their relationship grew, and George and Judy exchanged marriage vows on August 20, 1965 in Larned, KS.

Judy finished her teaching degree at Fort Hays State University two years later.  Her first teaching assignment was in the 1st grade, in the Burrton School District.  She loved teaching there, but the time came to move to southwest Kansas.  During the fall of 1970, George and Judy found a new place to call home two miles south of Deerfield.  Mom would spend the next 30+ years teaching wherever they needed her within the Deerfield school district.  She taught Title I remedial reading and Kindergarten for many of those years. "Mrs. Esser" had a special place in her heart for ALL her students.

After her retirement, Mom and Dad could be found traveling and working on their new place north of Deerfield.  They attended as many of the grandkids' activities as possible in Kansas and Colorado.  After their move to Brush, CO in 2018, it became easier to watch the younger grandkids.  One thing the family noticed when moving George and Judy to Colorado was that George had several collections and treasures.  Judy really didn't.  As we got to thinking about it, we realized that her "thing" wasn't things.  She was a people person. This is probably one of the characteristics that made her such a successful teacher.  She truly had a compassion for every student's situation and genuinely cared about their academic growth.

Judy completed her earthly journey on Sunday, February 25, 2024 at Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center, in Brush, CO.

Judy is preceded in death by her husband George, of 57 years; her parents; her sisters Jackie (Quinby) Walker and Janet (Quinby) Mahn; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Bob and Lesta Esser.

Judy is survived by: daughters, Stacy (Matt) Pollart of Snyder, Colorado and Jayna Smith (John Flores) of Lakin; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and Brazilian daughter, Daniella Ziller Arruda Karagiannis, who joined the Esser family for her foreign exchange year in 1994.  Also, brothers-in-law, Bob Walker of Larned, KS and David Knapp of Jacksonville, Florida; and many other family and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at the Deerfield Methodist Church, Deerfield, Kansas.  Graveside service and inurnment will take place at 11:30 a.m. the following day at the Sunnyside Cemetery in Sun City, Kansas.