Judy Wentz | Obit
Published July 3, 2026
Judith Ann Wentz
May 26, 1950- June 1, 2026
Judith Ann Wentz, 76, passed away in Bend, Oregon on June 1, 2026 after a 15-year battle with multiple myeloma. Born May 26, 1950 in Kirkland, Washington, the daughter of Ed and Cleo Wentz, she attended Snoqualmie schools, Mt Si High, and Fort Wright College of the Holy Names in Spokane.
She married Steve Beaty in 1968 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In 1978 the family moved to Toledo, Oregon and built a house using materials from buildings they demolished themselves.
Judi worked as a waitress and as Evidence Custodian for the Newport Sheriff’s Office, then as Public Education Specialist with the Kent Police Department, where she created her own kids’ TV show, Judi’s Jungle. As children’s librarian in Toledo she won Oregon Library Employee of the Year in 1996. She founded two businesses: Kraut Queen, making her famous dill pickles and sauerkraut, and Safety Queen, running safety seminars and Neighborhood Block Watches.
Judi loved digging for clams along the Oregon Coast and Whidbey Island. Making sauerkraut (only late-winter cabbage!) required bare feet, at least one beer, and rock & roll. She played piano, spoke French, and adored classic cars, including her 1955 Pontiac Star Chief. A prolific pie maker, she gifted hundreds of homemade pies. She was an avid gardener and cook with an infectious personality, bursting with energy and a love for life.
Survived by spouse Craig Sullivan; sons PJ (Jamie) and Nate (Laurie) Beaty; grandchildren Aaron (Makenna) and Hannah; great-grandchildren Raylon and Teigan; siblings Margie (Dan) Sanford, Donna, Bob (Debbie), and Russell (Sue) Wentz; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Preceded in death by her parents; cousins Tony and Don McCreary, Elton Belts; niece Ellen Dorothea Wentz.
A celebration of life will be held in Snoqualmie, Washington August 8, 2026, and in Bend, Oregon May 26, 2027.