JUDY VASHUS

Judith Anne "Judy" Vashus (née Harden) died at the age of 80 in her home in Ashland, Kan., on March 26, 2026.

Born on December 10, 1945, to Paul Duane Harden and Linda Lee Sanders Harden, Judy grew up in Ashland and graduated summa cum laude from Ashland High School in 1963. At the urging of her grandmother, Florence Harden, Judy learned to play the piano and became an accomplished pianist. She also played the guitar, as well as the flute in the Ashland marching band, and sang in the choir.

Judy attended Kansas State University and graduated in 1967 with a degree in medical technology. She worked in hospitals at Topeka, Hays, Ashland, Minneola, Buffalo and Española, NM.

Judy attended the First Church of God in Ashland for most of her life and was involved in the Clark County community in various ways. She was very interested in local history, early pioneers, and the history of the West in general. She was the unofficial historian of the family and passed down many stories to the next generation, keeping our ancestors alive in our memories.

Judy had a great love of art from the Southwest as evidenced by her collection of pottery, textiles, and jewelry. She loved gardening when she was still able to do it. She also loved football and was an enthusiastic fan of K-State and the Denver Broncos. Judy had fun shopping for hats with her daughter and taking her son to see Star Wars movies.

Judy was probably most known for her piano playing and her willingness to play for church as part of her worship, and to play for her friends and neighbors who have passed. She especially enjoyed playing at the high school for choir and accompanying students for their competitions after her retirement. Even after her memory began to fail her, she never lost the ability to open a piece of music and play it.

Judy survives by her husband, Gary Vashus, and her two children, Jennifer Prather of Durham, NC and Duane Mosshart of Hutchinson, Kansas and their spouses, Ken Macdonald and Lynn Mosshart, respectively. She is also survived by her brother, Don Harden and his wife Debra of Garden City, and her sister, Sandra Woodrow of Aurora, Colorado. She has two step-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, grands and great-grandnieces and nephews, as well as innumerable cousins on the Harden and Sanders side of the families.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the First Church of God in Ashland, with graveside service to follow at Protection Cemetery. Visitation hours will be at Wilkinson Funeral Service from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, March 30.

Memorials to the First Church of God at PO Box 685 Ashland, KS. 67831, may be made in lieu of flowers. (But she did enjoy flowers so much!)