Judy Gaye Lazinka Currin (2/7/1940-5/18/2024)    Judy G. Currin (age 84), a longtime Heppner resident passed away on May 18, 2024, at Guardian Angel Homes in Hermiston, Oregon. S

he was born on February 7, 1940 in Pendleton, Oregon. Judy was the fourth of five children born to Henry Lazinka Jr. and Jennie (Johnson) Lazinka. Judy was a true country girl and cowgirl at heart, growing up on a ranch near Ukiah, OR. Her grandfather Henry Lazinka Sr. sailed around the Horn of South America not once, but twice. He left Poland with the dream and determination of a better life. He made his way to Ukiah after many hardships and started his dream of building a cattle ranch. Judy's family bought a home in Pendleton to live in during the school year, but they would spend summers, school breaks and weekends at the ranch.

Judy graduated from Pendleton High School in 1958. She was president of the Pep Club, served on several different committees and clubs, played on the tennis team and excelled in athletics. She was strong and known for lifting more than the boys could during weight class in school. Judy competed at Mustangers in Pendleton, horse shows, and many rodeos. She was the queen of the Pendleton Round-Up and Miss Rodeo Oregon in 1958. Being a big huge country music fan, Judy loved knowing that she presented a saddle to Clark McEntire with his daughter Reba sitting on the saddle during her reign as the Round-Up Queen. Her favorite part of the Round-Up was the grand entry, watching the court jump the rail and fire up the crowd for the big show. She competed for Miss Rodeo America in Las Vegas in 1958 where she won the horsemanship competition. Her family has been told that Judy was so strong that she was able to manhandle the unbroke horses during the Miss Rodeo America competition.

Judy was introduced by her sister Jean to Ron Currin at the Ukiah Rodeo Dance in 1955. Ron and Judy started dating shortly after that. She attended Oregon State in the fall of 1958, only lasting one term before getting engaged that December. Ron and Judy got married three short months later on February 14, 1959 in Pendleton and settled into ranch life. Ron bought a ranch with a home on Little Buttercreek outside of Heppner and continued to ranch with his father George and brother Tom. Ron and Judy shared a working relationship together and she was absolutely not afraid of some hard work outside with the men. They raised cattle, sheep, quarter horses, alfalfa, and dry land wheat. She loved her dogs and always had loyal border collies that followed her around while working and moving cattle. Judy absolutely loved the ranch life.

Ron and Judy had four sons and one daughter, so she was extremely busy being a homemaker and working on the ranch. Ron's mother Helen was a lifesaver when it came to helping out with the kids! Work was a family affair, raising cattle, haying, harvesting, moving sprinkler pipe, training colts, and so much more. Their kids were involved in Wranglers, Mustangers, 4-H, FFA, rodeo and many sports in school.

Judy served as the Morrow County Rodeo secretary for many years and was very active with the Morrow County Fair and Livestock Auction. Ron and Judy were married 64 years before his passing in 2023. Judy loved nothing more than cheering on her children in their athletics and in the rodeo arena. Her four sons were very successful Prorodeo Cowboys and Judy loved every minute following them on their rodeo journey. Her four sons won six championships at the Pendleton Round-Up and her daughter Jennifer was queen in 1991. The entire family was inducted into the Pendleton Round-Up Hall of Fame in 1996; an accomplishment that Judy was always proud of. You could always find her sitting in the stands taking the times and scores of every rodeo contestant. She was also a huge basketball fan and you could hear her hollering and cheering from a mile away! Their family vacations were going to a rodeo somewhere. Judy always had her sons championship saddles, buckles, trophies, and other awards on display in their home on Buttercreek. Additionally, being part of the larger rodeo family, the home was always open to cowboys and cowgirls that were traveling through the Northwest during the summer rodeo season.

Judy is survived by her sons, Tony (Kelli) Currin, Steve (Lisanne) Currin, daughter Jennifer (Shane) Gutridge, daughter-in-law Judy (Curtis) Walchli Currin-Pederson, daughter-in-law Rayanne Engle Currin; eight grandchildren; sister Mary Lou (Bob) O'Rourke, brother Robert (Sandy) Lazinka and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Jennie Lazinka; husband Ron Currin Sr.; sons Mike and Ron Currin Jr.; sisters Jean Lazinka Barbouletos and Kathryn (Kite) Lazinka Healy Thorne.

A celebration of life Catholic Mass will be held on Friday, May 24th at 11:00am at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Heppner. Please consider a charitable contribution to the following: Vange John Memorial Hospice 645 W. Orchard Ave. Suite 500 Hermiston, OR. 97838 or The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, 101 Pro Rodeo Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80919 (jccfinfo@prorodeo.com).