Judith Foster Thomason, "Judi," 78, went to be with the Lord Tuesday, September 11, 2018 after an 8-year battle with vascular dementia. She is survived by her loving husband, Bill (Wm H) Thomason, sister Donna (Dan) Phillips, four beloved children - Kelli (Charley) Groves, Cyndi (Phil) Smith, Melissa (Chris) Barnes, and Tripp (Sonya) Harris, and 6 cherished grandchildren - Kacey Groves, Connor Smith, Sarah Katherine Barnes, Barrett Harris, Emma Grace Harris, and Ward Harris. She is preceded in death by her parents, Hendon Grover Foster and Leona "Pete" Foster of Hueytown.

Judi graduated from Bessemer High School and was Secretary of her senior class. She was beautiful and fun-loving and was named "Class Flirt." She attended The University of Alabama and was active in Phi Mu sorority. She married and became a homemaker and mother. She was always beautifully dressed, her hair and make-up done just right. She was known for her eclectic style of decorating and had a knack for mixing heirloom antiques with modern pieces. She was creative and resourceful, and always had a "project" going. She loved to clean out and organize and her children laugh that they had to help with a big garage sale every summer!

At the age of 39 she had to join the workforce to help support her children, and was employed by Johnson, Rast and Hayes Realty as a secretary. She then took a job as secretary in the corporate offices of Baptist Health System, where she worked her way up to an assistant in Marketing and Communications and retired as a Human Resources Assistant in 2001. She made many dear friends there and continued to remain active in the BHS Retiree Organization. But her ultimate achievement was raising four self-sufficient children, despite the hardships of being a single working mother. She made sure they had whatever they needed to become successful.

Judi loved animals and there was always a dog (or two) in the house. Her most recent fur babies were a Maltese named Hattie and a Yorkie named Augie, who she treated like children. She had a wonderful "green thumb," and was always potting plants or working in her flower beds. After retiring, she volunteered weekly with the Perennials Group at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. She loved the beach, especially Seagrove Beach, and could spend hours walking and shell hunting. She even learned how to set crab traps to catch blue crabs in Western Lake there. She grew up fishing on the Warrior River with her mother and father on his homemade pontoon boat. Later in life she enjoyed fishing local lakes with her husband, Bill. She also loved to travel, and they took many trips across the south, even to Mexico and South America. After retirement, she and 3 friends even "backpacked" in Europe.

She belonged to Pacesetters where she served as president and was on the Board of Directors for several years. It was at Pacesetters where she met her husband, Bill. As an adult, Judi attended Canterbury United Methodist Church, Irondale United Methodist Church, and Riverchase United Methodist Church, where she was a member of the Cornerstone Class and was active in Lunch and Learn and the Day Trippers.

The family invites friends to join them for a memorial service at Valhalla Funeral Home, Midfield Alabama Monday, September 17, 2018 at 11:00 A.M. Visitation with the family will be 1 hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Birmingham Humane Society, the Vascular Dementia Society of America, or a charity of one's choice.