Judith "Judy" Wrede

Judith "Judy" Wrede, 76, of Littleton, passed away Wednesday, April 21, 2021. She is preceded in death by her husband, Stephen Wrede.

Judy was born and raised in Pueblo Colorado to Jose and Rebecca Maes.  She was 1 of 5 siblings (Martha, Theresa, Loretta, and Richard).  She spent her early adult years living in Indiana, Kentucky and settling in California after the birth of her only son Kevin.  Judy's years in San Jose, California consisted of meeting her amazing future husband Steve, marrying him, and a cultivating a rewarding tenure working for the Santa Clara County Social Services Department where day to day she helped the less fortunate access social programs and attempted to better their lives through workforce training and other counseling efforts.

It was during these years in San Jose that Judy continued to pursue her love of art by mastering many mediums from Oil Painting, Watercolor, Stained Glass and a myriad of other artistic endeavors that would eventually help her find her true passion.  Judy moved back to Colorado in the early 80's settling in Colorado Springs where her love of design transferred to the construction of her own custom home overlooking the city.  Judy took a job with the City of Colorado Springs mentoring children who had run into trouble with the law and needing a guiding positive influence in their lives to help ensure they were on the correct path forward.  Her selfless desire to help others less fortunate was omnipresent throughout her life.

Not many years after moving to Colorado Springs Judy's lifelong interest in art was too strong to deny and thus she determined her future would be defined as a entrepreneurial artist.  She continued to create in many mediums and worked to sell her goods to anyone she could find.  In 1986 Judy and Steve took a leap of faith and moved to Northern England where they settled in the quaint Town of Harrogate.  There Judy uncovered vast amounts of artist willing to share their knowledge and skill and thus her love of hand painted ceramic tiles was born.

Upon Judy's return to Colorado in 1991 Judy's company, Wrede's Productions began to flourish with custom painted tile lines, using unique methods she learned while in England these lines began to be distributed nation wide.  Judy designed custom tiles for such celebrities as Oprah, Gary Oldman, Cher and many others to be placed in their homes and/or businesses.  She cultivated an artistic niche that led to a lifelong career doing something she loved dearly.

Upon the birth of her grandchildren, Emma (2000) and Abby (2003) Judy uprooted herself and moved to Denver where she again would design a new home from the ground up.  She would spend the next many years expanding her business across the country to many retail showrooms and never missing a chance to watch her grandchildren. Judy loved watching her girls play basketball in high school and college

Judy will forever be remembered as an amazing wife, mother and grandmother, as well as a one of kind artist who was loved by many.  She is survived by her son Kevin.

Celebration of her life will be held Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 1pm, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 5303 E. County Line Road, Centennial. Private committal will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery.