Judy Shackelford, 82, left this life peacefully on Tuesday, Aug 25, surrounded by her 3 daughters. All services will be held at St. Elizabeth Church, 2 E. 75th St., KCMO, on Wed., November 25, 2026. Visitation will begin at 9 am with funeral mass following at 10 am.

When Judy was born during World War II, her father was serving in the Army overseas, and she was raised by her mother and her aunts waiting for her father to return from the war. With pride, she loved to share stories of her father’s career in the Army and her family’s travels while being stationed in Europe. For almost 10 years she was an only child until the arrival of her twin brothers while living in Germany. Later her family settled in Virginia where Judy received her teaching degree from Radford College and taught pre-school and early elementary in Georgia, Texas, and Kansas. She retired from teaching in 1993 to support her husband’s role as they moved to other states while serving as a caregiver for her mother-in-law and her own parents. Judy and Ed moved back to Kansas City in 2012 and enjoyed being involved with their children and grandchildren's lives, attending sporting and school events whenever possible and loved celebrating family holidays together. Judy’s love for teaching inspired both her daughter, Melissa, and granddaughter, Kelsey to become teachers. This legacy now shines brightly and has impacted three generations of students. Judy was a loving and committed wife to Ed for 52 years and a devoted mother to her daughters, Kathy, Debbie, and Melissa.

Survivors include her three daughters who all claim to be her favorite: Kathleen Cooper and her husband Brad; Debbie Bednar and her husband William; and Melissa Scanlon and her husband Matt. She was blessed with five grandchildren: James (Joceyln), Brandon, Kelsey, Kayleigh, and Erin. She’s also survived by her adoring twin brothers, Bruce and Boyd Dunn, their wives Wendy and Nancy, and their children Emilee, Nathan, Andrew, and Kevin (Lindsey). She was preceded in death by her devoted husband Edward L. Shackelford, Jr., and her parents, Colonel (Ret.) James and Kathleen Dunn.

We are very grateful for the love, care, and compassion of the caregivers at Golden Hearts and Ascend Hospice. In lieu of flowers, contributions “In Memory of Judy Shackelford” may be sent to KU Endowment to benefit the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (03270), KU Endowment/GIVE or mailed to KU Endowment, PO Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044.