Judith Strong

May 11, 1936 -

Apr 26, 2022

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Judy Strong on April 26, 2022, at the age of 85.

Judy was born in Seattle, Wash. On May 11, 1936, at the age of 16, she drove the Alaska Highway with her mom in her mom's truck. She then went back to Seattle for a year in 1952, and again drove the Alcan with her grandparents. Shortly thereafter, she helped her parents open the Red Shed Diner on the Old Seward Highway. It was at the Red Shed Diner that she met her husband Pierre Strong. Pierre and Judy married in 1955, bought a little home in Spenard and property at Big Lake. They raised their two children, Michael and Catherine, in both Anchorage and Big Lake, Alaska.

After building a cabin at Big Lake in 1956, Judy would pack up the kids and all the gear in the car to spend the summer and every weekend at the cabin. Once here, the entire family had to load into a small boat and travel four miles to get to the cabin. While Pierre worked, Judy would split logs by hand to keep the home fires burning at the Big Lake cabin. She loved Big Lake and the opportunities to tow her children water skiing, snowmachine with them and watch them swim and play. In the winter, she would plow the ice road across the lake. In the spring she would famously get into her aluminum boat and break up the ice on Big Lake for hours on end.

In 1975, Pierre and Judy made their dream come true by building their dream home at Big Lake and set up full time residence. Her grandchildren loved coming to grandma's house because she spoiled them rotten. Everyone loved her. She was a true pioneer and matriarch.

Judy is survived by her son, Michael Strong of Texas; daughter, Cathy and son-in-law Dan Mayfield of Big Lake; grandsons and wives, Jeremy and Julie Mayfield, Jeffery and Emma Mayfield and Joe and Robyn Mayfield, all of Anchorage; granddaughters, Hollie Derr and Bridgit Huff, husband Brian Huff, of Texas; and 13 great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be set later. Cards and sentiments may be sent to P.O. Box 520705, Big Lake, AK 99652.