Judith Ann “Judy” Seltzer, 84, passed away on July 8, 2026, at her home near Pretty Prairie, Kansas.

Judy was born on June 4, 1942, in Hays, Kansas, to Edith E. and Bruce E. Richardson. She grew up in Larned, attended Larned public schools, and graduated from Larned High School. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Fort Hays State University in 1963, where she was also a member of the Delta Zeta sorority.

Judy built her life around caring for people—first one patient at a time and eventually entire communities. She began her nursing career in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Topeka, Kansas, before returning to Larned, where she became director of the Pawnee County Health Department.

In 1976, Judy moved to Hutchinson. She served as Director of Nursing at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home and later as Assistant Director of Nursing at Hutchinson Hospital. In 1981, she became Director of the Reno County Health Department, a position she held until her retirement in 2012. During her more than 30 years there, Judy worked to expand public health services throughout Reno County and make them more accessible to those who needed them. While leading the department, she earned a master’s degree in health care administration from Central Michigan University in 1991.

Judy was previously married to Ron Babb. In 1985, she married Stephen E. Seltzer in Hutchinson. Judy and Steve shared more than four decades of family life, travel, church involvement, gardening, and adventures with their English Springer Spaniels.

In her family life, Judy was always a caretaker. She held genuine concern for those around her and made family a priority, whether she was hosting holiday gatherings at home or packing up the car with Steve—always with a vanilla cappuccino in her cupholder—to drive across the country for family events. When Judy was around, music was always playing and the cookie jar was full.

In retirement, Judy found great pleasure in her ever-expanding flower and vegetable gardens. She and Steve also traveled throughout the region with their dogs to English Springer Spaniel field trials. They graciously hosted field-trial events at their home, and Judy embraced the opportunity to build lasting friendships within the Springer Spaniel community. She became affectionately known as the “Cookie Queen” for the hundreds of cookies she and a friend baked for local and national field trials—a fitting nickname for someone who so often expressed her care for others in practical and generous ways.

Judy believed deeply in serving her community. She was a graduate of the Leadership Hutchinson program and a Fellow of the Kansas Health Foundation Leadership program. She was also a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church in Hutchinson, where she served as both a deacon and an elder and contributed her time and talents to numerous committees.

Whether she was leading a public health department, tending her garden, traveling with the dogs, serving her church, spending time with her family, or preparing another batch of cookies, Judy brought energy and care to the people and activities that mattered to her.

Judy was preceded in death by her parents and her daughter, Kerri Lynn Babb.

She is survived by her husband, Steve, of the home; her sons, Kevin (Angie) Babb of Waukee, Iowa, and Kenneth (Dawn) Babb of Leawood, Kansas; her stepdaughters, Susan (Brent) Demmitt of Cave Creek, Arizona, and Nicole (John Nelson) Seltzer of Oak Creek, Colorado; her sister, Sandra Hill of San Antonio, Texas; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial Service will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 1, 2026, at First Presbyterian Church, 201 E. Sherman, Hutchinson, with the Reverend Doctor Christine Kass officiating. Reception will follow the memorial service at the church. Private family burial will take place in Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson. Friends may sign her book from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting Monday until the day of the service at Elliott Mortuary. Cremation has taken place.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the First Presbyterian Church, Deacon’s Fund (please make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church, with Deacon Fund in the memo line), in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main St, Hutchinson, KS 67501.