When Judith Steed (nee McGreevy), 75, of Oak Park, died on March 19, 2026, the world lost a caring mother, grandmother and wife, a talented artist, fierce friend, and all-around lover of life. Born on Feb. 15, 1951, she was born and raised in Oak Park and attended Oak Park and River Forest High School where, at age 15, she met her future husband, Bob, to whom she would be happily married for over 52 years. At Northern Illinois University, she earned a degree in Early Childhood Education, and worked as a preschool teacher at First United Nursery School for 24 years. She earned the nickname “the singing teacher” for her tendency to break into song. She raised two daughters, parenting with whimsy and curiosity in River Forest, where they moved in 1981.
In 2004, Judy took a glass mosaic class and embarked on a second career that lasted 22 years, resulting in the creation of hundreds of pieces. She donated the majority of her profits to charities, in particular the Alzheimer’s Association, having lost her mother, Marilyn, to the disease. She joined the Walk to End Alzheimer’s nearly every year since 2012, volunteered as a docent at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio for over a decade, and before her death, was a regular volunteer at the Economy Shop and the Migrant Ministry.
A passionate singer, she was a member of the Sounds Good Choir and the St. Giles Family Mass Women’s Choir, which she founded. An active member of the Family Mass Community since the mid-1970s, she also founded the annual St. Giles Holiday Art Fair, which remains an annual event to this day.
Judy was pre-deceased by her mother, Marilyn Tyznik (Anthony Tyznik); her father, Alan McGreevy; and her brother, James McGreevy.
She is survived by husband, Robert Steed; her daughters, Bridget and Kathryn Steed (Daniel Hellebuyck); and her granddaughter, Jet Hellebuyck.
Services will be held at St. Giles Catholic Church in Oak Park on May 31. Visitation will begin at 3 p.m., followed by a Mass and celebration of life at 4:30 p.m.