Judy Voelker, BHS '70 (1952-2026)

Judy Christina Voelker 

May 19, 1952 - April 30, 2026

We just received the sad news that Judy Voelker, BHS '70, passed away this past April. Her sister, Jean Voelker Cavnar, BHS '71, said she was a Professor at the University of Northern Kentucky. Please keep Jean and the family in your prayers.

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Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy at NKU posted on May 4, 2026:

The department has some very sad news to share with our SAPiens family. Our beloved colleague and professor, Dr. Judy Voelker, passed suddenly on April 30, 2026. We are all processing this profound loss to NKU. Please see the letter from the provost below.

A few Comments from NKU Students and Colleagues...

Angela D. Deaton
Dr. Voelker was amazing and took me under her wing during my time at NKU. I assisted her in the museum, and had the pleasure of not only calling her a mentor, but a friend. She came to my wedding, my first child’s baby shower and we went to lunch frequently after I graduated. She will be missed. Condolences to her family and friends ❤️
Karen Reynolds
I met Judy and sold her her 1st house when she was a professor at NKU. She was very dedicated to her students and loved her job. Condolences to her family and friends.
Nova Kathryn Rice
she was one of my favorite professors at NKU. truly saddened to hear this. my thoughts are with her family and peers
Thaddeus Bissett
Judy was unique at NKU. Her loss will be keenly felt. She was an amazing colleague and I'm sorry that future students and faculty will not be able to benefit from her experience and scholarship.
Jeannine Otte Kreinbrink
I am so sorry to hear about Judy. Will you have a memorial service?
Jess Nuala
Sorry to hear about the loss of Dr. Voelker, condolences to her family.
Virgil Conn
I share in the mourning of this wonderful professor and mentor.
Dr Vanessa Hunn
I share in this deep sadness and mourning of my dear colleague, Dr. Judy Voelker.
Eleanor Grey
She was one of the best.
❤️
Rest in peace Judy.

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Douglas Hume posted on May 2, 2026

It is with deep sadness that I share the news of the sudden passing of our friend and colleague, Dr. Judy Voelker. Many of you knew Judy as a dedicated professor, mentor, and as the longtime director of the NKU Anthropology Museum. Her passing is a profound loss for all of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with her.

A few comments...

Lyndsey McNabb
So sorry to hear this. The last time I saw Dr. Voelker it was a few semesters after I graduated. But everything was still locked down due to Covid. She was so excited to see me and flagged me down from across a parking lot. We chatted for probably 20mins. I promised to stay in touch but time moves quickly. Sending my condolences.
Bronte Murrell
I am so sad to hear this. Douglas Hume can you share an update when a service or celebration is scheduled? I know a lot of us would like to attend if we can.
Abigail Paola
What a great professor! Such fun and delightful memories of her. I have a feeling she is exploring the cultures of the afterlife.
Matt Buttacavoli
I'm so sad to hear this. Judy was an amazing mentor. I don't know if I would be where I am without her. I use the skills she taught me everyday.
Kendra Hein
This is such sad news, as she was one of my favorites in the department. Thank you for sharing this with everyone and would greatly appreciate any info you might have on the service.
Melissa Tice Gorbandt
So sad to hear this. I enjoyed working Dr. Voelker and know she was a beloved professor to many. May she rest in peace.
Lindsy Sims
😔 Dr. Voelker was one of the first professors I ever had not only the Anthropology department but at NKU. A true gem of a person.
Ashley Taryt
I'm so sad to hear of her passing. May her soul be at peace. She was a wonderful teacher and I learned so much from her. She will be remembered.
Sue Ott Rowlands
She was a gem of a faculty member.
Tonya Krouse
This is such a loss to our entire campus.
Cecile Marczinski
My deepest sympathies to you and your department. I am thinking of all of you in this difficult time.
Chris Strobel
Just incredibly sad. Not even sure what else I can say right now. Just… sadness.
Holly Vasquez
So sad to hear this. Enjoyed talking with her about her travels, very passionate about her work. ♥️🙏
Devin Casey
So sorry to hear this! She was a great professor. She will be missed by so many.
Kristi Haik
She was a wonderful human being who was always great to be with. ❤️
Houston Weedn
She was an amazing teacher and an even better person. You will be missed
Brittany Lipscomb
Very sad to hear. She was a great person and teacher. I learned a lot from her.
Gayle Hilleke
So very sorry to hear this. Judy was a wonderful human being, teacher, and colleague. She will be missed.
Nigel Encalada
Condolences to her family, friends and NKU community.
Pam Hall
Rest easy Judy! You will be so missed as a neighbor.💔
Rees Storm
Oh no! This is very sad and unexpected! So so sorry to hear this news.
Kasey Ale-Sandra Grace Burton
Sorry to hear 😢
Cora Brianne AG
So sorry to hear this, Dr. Hume. Please share any arrangements.
Kreg Stamper
Dr V was such a great soul..she will be missed.
Molly Mulhern Blenk
I’m sorry to hear of Judy’s passing!!
Kristin Appleby
My daughter let me know. Heartbreaking.
Allison Parrott-Puffpaff
Oh no, she was always so kind
Anita Knochelmann Mink
So Sad. Sending my Condolences.
Daniel J Curtin
So sorry, she was a great one!
Louis Griffin
Sad news.
Jamie Gaskill
Great soul this one.
Antonio Novelo
RIP & RISE IN ETERNAL GLORY DR JUDY. CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY & FRIENDS
Jesse Hendricks
God bless you!
Herminio Novelo
RIP !
Anthony Leanhart
Adelle Bricking Sarah Morford
Eric Bates
😢❤️

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Professor uses knowledge from travels to share stories

Matt Spaulding, Contributing writer
October 10, 2013
The Northerner: Norseletter 
The independent student news organization of Northern Kentucky University

Professor uses knowledge from travels to share stories 

While on a leave of absence from one of her jobs at various firms on Wall Street, NKU Associate Professor of Anthropology Judy Voelker took an opportunity that would ultimately change her career path.

“When I lived in New York and when I was working on Wall Street, I was able to travel extensively and I hadn’t had that experience growing up,” Voelker said. “That actually changed my mind set. It was as if there was a world I didn’t know about.”

During these travels, she made her first visit to Asia and quickly discovered her fondness for the continent because of its architecture and unique cultural heritage.  Especially Thailand and Southeast Asia, which would become her anthropological specialty.

“It was so different than anything I’d seen,” said Voelker enthusiastically with a reminiscent glow in her eye beyond her black rimmed glasses.

Ban Thakhok
These various leave-of-absence trips inspired her to apply to graduate school in Buffalo, N.Y., and leave her Wall Street job. Voelker won a Fulbright Fellowship merit grant and got to live in Ban Thakhok, a small village in Northeast Thailand, for almost two years. She said the exposure to rural village living was an eye-opening experience after growing up in the suburbs.

“I was the only westerner in that village. Many at that time had never seen a white person,” Voelker  said. “Everyone in that village knew you, even if they didn’t know you.”
The residents of the village wanted to know what was going on. They wanted to touch her skin and look at her lightly colored hair.

She enjoyed the experience of living in a new place as an uncomfortable unknown and slowly becoming part of the community. When she left, Voelker took away a sense of belonging to a larger group than family.

Six@Six Lecture
Some of the information collected in her research of this village was presented in her recent Six@Six Lecture at the Behringer-Crawford Museum in late September. “The lecture was called Ceramic Traditions of Southeast Asia: People, Community, and Pottery.”

“Part of the tradition with this manufacturing process is that women pass on how to make the pottery to their daughters and their daughter’s daughters. It’s a long-term tradition,” Voelker said.

The pots produced are called earthenware pots because they are not high temperature fire pots, according to Voelker. They are used for cooking soups, storing, and water containers. The villagers have access to aluminum cookware and an array of modern dishes, but they prefer the earthenware pots because of the taste, said Voelker, which she described as very fragrant.

Students from her Museums in Contemporary Society class helped to display large 16-by-20 photographs, pots, wooden paddles, ceramic anvils, and labels for each of the items from both modern day and prehistory.

“We were putting this together from her study, which was different from other classes I had had her for,” said Andrea West, a senior anthropology major who helped with the display. “This was actually her study. It was neat to be able to work with that.”

The initial plan only involved a lecture, according to Collette Thompson, coordinator for the Scripps Howard  Center for Civic Engagement. Voelker offered to add the display. Thompson said the display added to the guests’ experience and the student’s learning experience.

“When you have students outside the classroom working on material they are excited about and I’m passionate about, I think it provides a really excellent learning experience,” Voelker said.

T.A.P. and her students
Voelker has been working on the Thailand Archaeometallurgy Project (T.A.P.) since the early ‘90s, although the project was started in the early ‘80s. This project has been investigating the origins of metallurgy, a branch of science interested in the production of metals and their purification, in Southeast Asia and Thailand. She and other researchers have found thousands of artifacts, such as anvils, that date back as far as 2000 B.C. Students who work with her in Thailand work mostly on analyzing these artifacts and usually visit Ban Thakhok as well.

Students at NKU are currently working with her on analyzing the data for roughly 3,500 of these artifacts. They are double-checking, cleaning up the data, and nearing the final stages of analysis. Voelker said they will start writing soon. She hopes to publish at least two articles from this project, which students will get writing credit for depending upon their involvement.

“She is very dedicated to her work and study,” said West. “She is very dedicated to her job and she likes taking on new adventures.”

Voelker said she has always liked the involvement with students and those interested in her field.
“My father had a year or two of college and my mother didn’t go at all, so that parallels many of the experiences of students here at NKU. That may be why I identify with them so closely,” said Voelker.