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Obituary: Judy M. Slifka
Author: Family of Judy M. Slifka

Family of Judy M. Slifka

Judy M. Slifka

Judith “Judy” Slifka passed away peacefully on May 7th, 2026, at her home in Toston, MT.

Judy was born in Townsend, MT, to Harry Johnson and Gladys Connor Johnson on June 9th, 1944. Her siblings included her identical twin sister, Joyce, and her two older brothers, Harry and Kenneth “Kenny”.

She attended Toston Elementary and Broadwater County High School. She married Franklin Slifka on October 20th, 1962, at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Toston, MT, and together they raised 4 children: Joanne, Doug, Mark, and Monti.

Judy had many talents and hobbies. She enjoyed fishing on the Missouri near her home as well as ice fishing and hunting with Franklin. She was an accomplished seamstress and for many years, she made all of Franklin’s customized shirts in addition to making elaborate formal dresses, parade costumes, and at least one wedding dress. She could mend, hem, or tailor almost any material that could fit in her sewing machine.

Judy was a feisty character and surprisingly strong – in her younger days, she was unbeatable at “Indian wrestling”, a game where she was able to throw grown men who were twice her size and seemed to break the laws of physics. She also loved to dance and could “jitterbug” with the best of them. She passed this on to her kids, as well as many of her grandkids, and great grandkids, who still love to dance and West Coast swing.

Judy was known as an amazing baker and candy maker with a reputation for the world’s best cinnamon rolls and apple pie. She and her sister, Joyce, were often asked to bake formal wedding cakes. They were quite a team with Judy baking many layers of cake to make sure that they had the perfect foundation, and Joyce was the expert decorator for the frosting and piping.

Judy was also known for her sourdough pancakes and the “boarding house reach,” wherein the fastest hands at the breakfast table were the first to grab a hotcake straight from the griddle. It was a game similar to “spoons,” and the children would giggle and Judy would have a sparkle in her eye (and a pancake or two in reserve for the slower hands) that made the weekend morning routine fun for everyone. She always used a milk-fed sourdough start that she was given in 1969, and she kept this sourdough start alive and going for over 56 years, all while giving out new sourdough starts to friends and family for over half a century.

Judy is preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Gladys Johnson; brothers, Harry and Kenny Johnson; sister, Joyce Johnson Lane; and son, Douglas Arthur “Doug” Slifka. She is survived by her husband, Franklin Slifka; her children, Joanne (Jeff) Slifka Wass, Mark (Dawn) Slifka, and Monti (Alan) Slifka Menard; 8 grandchildren, Kyle (Heather) Motta, Kami (Daniel) Simmons, Brad Olsen, TJ (Emalee) Olsen, Ariel Slifka, Aspen (Kyle) Slifka Casperson, and Jacob Slifka; 6 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and Julie Delger, a great friend and confidante for many years.

The funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 23rd, 2026, at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Townsend (Note: Viewing will be on Friday, May 22nd,7:30-8:30 PM at the Stevenson-Wilke Funeral Home). Following services on Saturday, the reception will be at 12:30 at the Bunkhouse Bar in Toston. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Please visit https://www.stevensonwilke.com to offer a condolence to the family.

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