Judy K. (Waugaman) Siegel

Judy Kay Siegel (née Waugaman), born January 6, 1946, in Ridgway, PA, passed away on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Oak Park, IL. Beloved Grandma, Mom, Sister, and Wife.

Throughout her 79 years, Judy made homes in Buffalo, NY where she grew up and met her first husband Raymond L. Berta. During their marriage they lived in Michigan, Texas and Georgia, raising their two sons Michael and Joshua before separating and relocating to the Buffalo, NY area in 1982. After her sons were grown, Judy lived in northern Wisconsin and Sun City, AZ, and returned to Western New York in 2010. For the last two years, Judy lived in the Chicago area, in proximity to her son Josh and his family, and was an active member of the senior community where she lived. 

Judy was a caring and strong woman who raised her family with compassion, a deep sense of responsibility and morality, and a commitment to togetherness. Her values shaped the lives of those around her and left a legacy rooted in kindness and integrity. She will be most remembered for the way she built and nurtured community, her unwavering support and loyalty, her deep capacity for friendship, and the care she extended to everyone she met.

Judy found joy in quiet, meaningful activities. She loved reading and was part of book clubs for the past several years. She was also fond of sewing, quilting, playing cards and dominoes, and working on puzzles, often sharing those moments with friends and family. 

She spent most of her working life as a dispatcher and broker for trucking firms, a role that suited her unflinching demeanor and organizational mind. It was through this work that she met her second husband and great love, Dennis A. Siegel, to whom she was widowed.

Judy is survived by her sons, Michael R. Berta and Joshua R. Berta (Sarah Hezel) and their children, Frances, Olivia, Edith, and Nathan; her stepchildren, Scott Siegel (Amy) and Terry Caswell (Don) and their children, Krista (Matthew), Sophia, Oliver, Simon, Emma, Braxton, and Devon; and her siblings, Gerald (Patricia) Waugaman and Donna Brown (Don). She was preceded in death by her parents, Helen Jean Waugaman (née Geiger) and Donald Waugaman; her sister, Sally Waugaman; Terry’s son, Kyle Siegel; and her beloved husband, Dennis A. Siegel.

Details regarding memorial services will be announced soon. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (https://www.roswellpark.org/giving), where Judy received life-saving treatment for lung cancer.

Judy sought peace and community in every place she lived. She made people feel important, valued, and that they belonged. Her presence was a gift, and her legacy lives on in the kindness she showed and the connections she nurtured.

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