Judy Folds’ family never had to worry about hiring a photographer because they already had one. She was constantly snapping pictures, and eventually transformed her hobby into her very own photo restoration business.
Whether her clients’ photos were wrinkled, torn, had water damage or were just plain old, she could fix them. She took great pride in the restoration of old photographs, viewing her work as a way of honoring the past, said her daughter Katherine “Katie” Kennedy of Decatur.
“She was intrigued by preserving and restoring things from the past,” Kennedy said. “She also knew it was meaningful for the people to get photos fixed that had been damaged.”
Throughout her life, Folds wanted to capture every moment she could. Longtime friend Allyson Jordan remembers a trip their families once took to Disney World.
“She was always the person who had the camera,” Jordan said with a laugh. “She was the one taking pictures there, and then when we got back she was the one sharing the pictures. She captured the moments that we would have never gotten.”
Judy Ann Folds of Lilburn died Saturday from complications following elective surgery at Northside Hospital, Forsyth. She was 57. Her funeral was held Wednesday at Norcross First United Methodist Church. Internment followed immediately at Floral Hills Memory Gardens. Floral Hills Funeral Home, Tucker was in charge of arrangements.
Folds’ love of photography began with simple scrapbooking and photo collecting. It grew into a passion, fueling her to complete online photography and photo-editing classes offered by the New York Institute of Photography.
She gave feet to her passion in 2010 when she opened TimeLink Photo Restoration in Lilburn. She may have been trying to get a business up and running, but her main concern was never money, said her son, Jonathon Folds of Decatur.
“She had the idea to open it around early 2010,” he said. “But she couldn’t even get the business started because she wouldn’t charge people money.”
According to those who knew her, however, Folds’ greatest talent was caring for loved ones. She always put the needs of others before her own, and often referred to being a mother as her life’s purpose.
“Her main concern was being present and here for her kids,” Kennedy said. “She was so thoughtful and considerate of other people, much more than herself. She was the most compassionate person I’ve ever met.”
In addition to her daughter and son, Folds is survived by her husband, Tim Folds of Lilburn, another daughter, Jillian Folds of Lilburn, and one grandson.
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