Judy Mae Wilkin

Judy Mae Wilkin, 82, of Robinson, IL, passed away on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at Robinson Rehab & Nursing.

She was born in Robinson on April 7, 1944, and she never strayed far from the town that raised her. She graduated from Robinson High School and found her first steady work at L.S. Heath and Sons, putting in several good years there. Those years gave her something far sweeter than anything that came off the line at Heath, though. They gave her Lisa. Becoming a mother shaped the rest of Judy's life, and it set the stage for the family that was still to come. That family came together on September 25, 1970, when Judy married Clarence "Gene" Wilkin. Gene didn't just take a wife that day. He took Lisa as his own, and the three of them were a family from the start.

Judy and Gene were more than husband and wife. They were partners in love, in life, and in everything in between. But what really set them apart was the respect they had for one another. They listened to each other. They trusted each other. They were meant to be together, and they spent more of their lives together than most couples ever get, because they didn't just share a home. They shared the work, too.

When they married, Gene owned the Jitter Bug, and Judy went right to work helping him run it. Before long, he bought The Lobby on the square, and a few years after that, in 1983, they bought The Liquor Rack. Three successful businesses, built one after another, by two people who knew how to work hard and work together. But they also knew how to enjoy what all that work made possible. When they could get away, they did, and their favorite place to go was Hawaii. They made the trip twice together, and Judy loved it so much she went a third time with a friend.

Some of Judy's favorite trips, though, had nothing to do with where she was going. They were about who she was going with. She and Lisa went to Vegas twice and to Cancun once, and closer to home, they would set out on long shopping trips that always ended with a good meal. It never really mattered what they bought or where they ate, so long as they were together. They weren't just mother and daughter. They were best friends. Any time Lisa had a problem, her mom was ready to listen, but Lisa was far from the only one who knew it.

Judy loved people, and she loved helping them work through whatever they were carrying. She was always quick with a smile and quicker with a kind word, and she had a way of seeing the bright side of just about anything. At The Liquor Rack, customers would come in for one thing and end up staying to talk, and Judy always took the time. She gave plenty of advice over that counter, and she made a lot of friends doing it. That store was never just a business to her. It was a place to know people and to care about them, and even after Gene was gone, she and Lisa kept it going until they sold it in 2018.

The kind of person who makes time for every customer is usually the kind of person who stops for every stray, and Judy was no exception. She rescued animals in need and gave generously to animal charities, especially the Crawford County Humane Society. Her fur babies weren't pets to her. They were family. Toto was a rescue pup who became her baby, and she loved Dudley, Beauregard, and Beasley just as fiercely. Anyone who knew Judy knew that if you wanted to see her light up, all you had to do was ask about her dogs. When the store was closed and the babies were settled, Judy had her own way of winding down. Mahjong, Solitaire, you name it—she had a computer game for every mood, and they were how she relaxed every evening. It suited her just fine.

For a woman who spent her whole life helping other people through their troubles, the past year and a half turned the tables. Judy's health began to fail, and this time, she was the one who needed looking after. She was blessed to have a wonderful medical team, and the family extends a special thanks to Mike Wilson for caring for her in the twilight of her life. They are also deeply grateful to Willie, Nicole, Landon, Addie, "Ms. Addie," Shelley, Marla, and Bernie, who walked alongside Judy and Lisa throughout this journey. They were more than friends. They were family.

Along with these and numerous other friends, Judy leaves behind her daughter and best friend, Lisa Dolan, of Robinson, IL, and her fur babies, Toto, Dudley, Beauregard, and Beasley. She was preceded in death by her mother, Edna Mae (Rich) Wright; her beloved Gene, who passed away on July 25, 2015; her brother, Kenneth E. Wright; and her sisters, Betty Spiller and Pat Lamb.

Judy is to be cremated, and there will be no public services. Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Crawford County Humane Society, and memorial envelopes will be available at the funeral home.