Judith Anklam Devereux

Madison/Rhinelander - Judi Anklam Devereux, 48, died on April 30, 2009, after many years of living with ALS.  She was born on May 27, 1960, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.   Judi graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1978 and received her bachelor's degree from UW-Madison.  Upon graduation, Judi worked at Marshall Erdman & Associates and Strang Inc. She was a member of the First Unitarian Society, a volunteer with the Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools, a Community Shares of Wisconsin board member, an avid gardener, a world traveler, and a person who defied assumptions about what it means to live with a terminal disease.   Judi is remembered by her parents Don and Helen (Alexander) Anklam of Rhinelander, brothers Tom (Lisa) Anklam of Dublin, California, and Jim (Jane) Anklam of Superior, sister Mary (John) Toppins of Appleton, nephews and nieces Jesse (Sara) Toppins, Lyndsey Toppins, Anna and Andrew Anklam, Alex and Hayley Anklam, grand-nephew Ethan Toppins, aunt Dolores Anklam, and other relatives.  Her family, caregivers and friends will miss her wicked sense of humor, her sense of adventure and her passion for making the world a better place. She created around her a space of beauty, hilarity, and energy, and she was the center of a large and varied group of friends--who, in her absence, are grateful for each other.   A memorial service will be held at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, on Friday, May 22, 2009, at 5:30 pm.  Friends and family are encouraged to bring an item that reminds them of a moment with Judi (a photo, a poem or story, a candle, etc.) to place on an altar before the service.   Judi requested that in lieu of flowers, donations are sent to fund Dr. Benjamin Brooks' ALS research.   We would like to thank the staff at St. Mary's hospital of Madison and the Don and Marilyn Anderson HospiceCare Center.Memorials may be sent to The Carolinas ALS Research Fund, (checks should be made payable to this fund), Carolinas HealthCare Foundation, P.O. Box 32861, Charlotte, NC 28232.