Judyth Elaine Reed was born in Muscatine, Iowa on March 28, 1948, to Dale and Shirley (Thompson) Reed. She passed away on July 20, 2024 at the family home in Littleton, Massachusetts from Lewy Body Dementia. She graduated from Muscatine High School in 1966. She was the oldest of five siblings. They are Clayton Reed (Muchelle) of Muscatine, Iowa, Beverly Howard (Earl) of Cincinnati, Ohio, Sandy Anderson of Muscatine, Iowa, and David Reed of Des Moines, Iowa.
She married fellow archaeologist Russell Kaldenberg in Forest Falls, California in 1980. They travelled and moved extensively, living in 11 different locations and loved the Upper Mojave Desert with passion, spending 20 years in Ridgecrest and Trona, California.
She leaves her stepchildren, Casey (Jennifer) Kaldenberg of Littleton, MA, and Catherine (Chris) Ringlestetter from Barstow, CA, as well as step-grandchildren, Nicole, Tyler, Tristan, and Nolan. Cousins close to her were Lynnie Stender and Mary Ellen Loncor of Muscatine, Brandon and Margarite Reed of Huntington Beach, California and Mike and Marianne Reed of Anaheim plus many nieces, and nephews, particularly Monica and Tim Hopkins Reed of Muscatine, and Saxon and Marie Lynn Hutmacher of Westby, Wisconsin. Her Russian Blue Cat, Shado, misses “Mom” greatly.
She grew up reading about history and prehistory and was fascinated with Roy Chapman Andrew’s adventures as well ancient Roman and Greek history. When her fatal disease hit her we were in the midst of planning her dream trip to Greece. Luckily, she was able to spend her 25th wedding anniversary in London, visiting the historic sites and Stonehenge.
She graduated in Classic Literature from the University of Iowa and earned her MS from the University of California, Riverside, in Anthropology. She was an Archaeologist for the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service for 32 years, working in California and Wyoming.
She began her career as an archaeologist on the staff of the BLM Desert Planing Staff then was selected to become the first full time archaeologist for BLM in Indio, California. She was an archaeologist pioneer as she was the first female archaeologist hired to work In several locations in California. She mentored several young women archaeologists. She then moved to the Los Padres National Forest as their archaeologist in Santa Barbara, then on to the San Bernardino National Forest as an archaeologist and assistant Forest Ranger. Then it was on to the Mendocino National Forest in Willows, CA as the archaeologist and Native American specialist. In 1997 she transferred to the Ridgecrest BLM office where she blossomed. She worked with Native Americans, created the California Archaeological Site Stewardship program where she welcomed the public to become archaeological site stewards, learning about cultural resources and actively protecting them. She made tremendous friends in Ridgecrest and Trona, those she kept friendship with the rest of her lives, including the late Bill Wight and Charlie, Bill and Barbara Gossett, Jerry and Mary Grimsley and the Gear Grinders, Louie and Corey Wincn, Sharon Hartley, Lit Brush, Sandy and Fran Rogers, and Mary Martin. She helped her husband and Bill Wight create the Friends of China Lake Archaeology and served on the Board of Directors of the Maturango Museum.
Some of her notable projects in the Ridgecrest area included protecting the ghost town of Reilly, stabilizing the Panamint Mountains Wickiup, protecting the last Panamint City Stage Station, surveying the southern Panamint Valley and documenting Native American geoglyphs, excavating Bedrock Springs, a looted archaeological site in the Lava Mountains, and then developing a protection plan for it and working closely with volunteers. She shared her knowledge and enthusiasm with the community.
She moved on to the BLM State Office in Cheyenne, Wyoming where she worked to coordinate the State of Wyoming Historic Preservation philosophy with that of the BLM. It was a job she was passionate about. She made numerous lifelong friends there and helped organize the Cheyenne Chapter of the Wyoming Archaeological Society.
She was proud of her editing skills and report writing, and leaves volumes of cultural resources reports and archaeological papers she authored. The archaeological community will pay future homage to her in upcoming publications.
She was grateful for the final weeks of care to Casey and Jennifer Kaldenberg and their children and to Abbey Lorden of Littleton, MA and to Pinnacle Dementia Care along with close friends Amber Bishop, Chris and Katie from Muscatine, who travelled to Littleton to assist Judyth. 6 year old Katie read “Miss” Judyth Little Golden Books during her illness. It made her happy.
Internment will occur at the family plot at the Searles Valley Cemetery sometime this winter; all will be invited to pay homage to this wonderful person.
Any donations in her honor should be directed to an animal shelter, or to a local historical society such as the Wyoming Archaeological Society in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Maturango Museum, the Mojave Desert Historical and Cultural Association, in Goffs, CA, or the Searles Valley Historical Society in Trona where the Kaldenberg Reed Commemorative Library is located.