Getty Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster speaks during a rally at the I-80 Speedway hosted by former President Donald Trump on May 1, 2022, in Greenwood, Nebraska.
Judith “Judy” Herbster was the wife of Charles Herbster, who is running to be the governor of Nebraska. Herbster was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and is facing allegations of sexual misconduct from eight women.
Herbster has denied the accusations from the women, who have said he groped them, according to NPR. Herbster is one of three Republican candidates vying for the GOP nomination, facing contenders Brett Lindstrom and Jim Pillen.
Judy Herbster died May 2, 2017, according to a memorial page and scholarship fund set up in her honor. A Facebook post from Herbster Angus Farms at the time of her death said she “unexpectedly passed away.” She was 62.
Here’s what you need to know:
Judy & Charles Herbster Were Married for 17 Years & Built His Business Together
Judy Herbster was credited with helping her husband build his business, according to his Conklin bio. Charles Herbster is now CEO of the manufacturing and distribution company.
“In 1980, he resumed his role as a Conklin Director as well as assisting his Grandmother Carico in operating the family’s farms,” his bio says. “He married his wife, Judy, in 1982, and they built their Conklin business together. In 1992, Charles became majority shareholder of the Conklin Company when he purchased 52% of the company from the Conklin family. In 1994, he became the sole owner, which fulfilled his 15-year goal to play a major role in preserving the foundation on which the company was built upon and maintaining the opportunities of the free enterprise system.”
His bio says that he took on the role of president and chief operating officer after her death. They did not have children together, according to her obituary. Her obituary, memorial pages and tributes did not list a cause of death.
Judy Herbster ‘Paved the Way for Women’ in Her Company, Conklin
Judy Herbster met Charles Herbster when they were both working for Conklin, the company her husband would eventually own. Before taking on her role at Conklin, she worked as a daycare provider, her obituary says.
It also says:
Little did she know, her decision to join Conklin would change her life forever. Meeting her husband, Charles W. Herbster, through the company she already loved, on June 26, 1982, they were married at Christview Christian Church in Tulsa, OK. To say Judy was passionate about Conkin was an understatement. She was a champion of the business and paved the way for women in the company. Judy was the first woman President’s Club member in 1980; the first female Director in 1982; the first Conklin Director to develop 5 directors in one year; and the first lady to receive the “Director of the Year” Award in 1985. A role model for many, Judy became the first and only woman president of the Conklin company in its 48-year history.
The couple purchased the company in 1992.
Herbster Angus Farms wrote a tribute to Judy Herbster on their Facebook page May 2, 2022, the seventh anniversary of her death. The post discussed her work ethic and how thistles are a reminder of her.
“Missing my great friend and teacher, I’ll do to this thistle what she would have done,” the post says. “I’ll reach my gloved hand down and pluck it from the earth. It will be the first of countless others I will pull this early spring into late summer. With every single one I yank from the dirt, I’ll feel Judy’s warm hand on my back—thanking me for a job well done and reminding me of her legacy.”
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