Judy Wooten told everyone she knew that this summer had been the best of her life. She got to take a couple of trips to Las Vegas, spend a week at a gorgeous beach house in South Carolina with her daughter, and fly to California to visit her sister.
It was a summer her family will treasure always.
Judy Alford Wooten, 66, of Canton died suddenly Monday at her home. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Northside Chapel Funeral Home, Roswell.
Her sister Bebe Stoddard of Santa Monica, Calif., said Mrs. Wooten was like her sister, mother and best friend all rolled into one. Born only 22 months apart, they were raised more like twins and when Ms. Stoddard moved out west, it was a sad parting.
“Judy always had an opinion about everything. She never held a grudge and she had a very loving heart, but she always told you what she thought,” Ms. Stoddard said.
In April, the sisters stayed at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and had a fabulous time. Then, in July, Mrs. Wooten went to Santa Monica, where she and her sister toured Universal Studios, the Santa Monica Pier and Wisteria Lane, capped off by a day trip back to Vegas.
“Judy had such a sense of adventure and she was always ready to laugh and have fun,” Ms. Stoddard said.
Mrs. Wooten particularly loved her red Corvette convertible. She and her husband of 28 years, Rilie Wooten of Canton, had a small miniature Corvette collection and attended Corvette car shows and anniversaries whenever possible.
Mrs. Wooten grew up in Buckhead and worked at several places around the metro area. At the time of her death, she was employed as the office manager of Wild Hair Salon in Cumming. “Judy adored the social aspect of her job and she loved to entertain and be entertained. She lit up a room,” said her boss, Frank Provenzano.
Her daughter, Pamela Coster of Murrells Inlet, S.C., said she and her mother grew up together. “She never told me what to do and she always respected my decisions and helped me make the best of them.”
Mrs. Coster once asked her mother why she read the newspaper obituaries daily and Mrs. Wooten said, “We’re not all famous and we’re all going to die someday and if I read them, then I’m one more person who knew that person existed and where they came from.”
Her daughter said Mrs. Wooten had some tragedies in her life, but she never let them define her and she always came back stronger than ever.
Additional survivors include a son, Kevin Carter of Ball Ground; another sister, Susan Davis of Canton; and two grandsons.
About the Author
