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Judith Carol “Judy” Heaton died March 16. Judy retired from Texas Instrument-Siemens after 20 years of employment. She later worked at Walgreens as a beauty consultant, and that’s where a lot of people became acquainted with Judy and in time earned her friendship. 

She was always kind and friendly and had a smile to share with everyone. Judy’s son Scott shared that his mother had a great sense of humor, enjoyed playing tricks on others, and had a great laugh.

Judy raised three sons, Scott and John and the late Jackson Daniel Heaton.

Among Judy’s favorite things to do was to get together with her “Lizard Friends” from Siemen’s each week for a pool party at the home of Roberta Hughes  No men were allowed, and they were all retirees of Siemens.

Judy was a food person, who enjoyed helping others. She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church, Elizabethton. In earlier years she was involved in Sunday School, Bible School, and the church’s prison ministry. “My mom and dad were both involved in the jail ministry. They shared the gospel with inmates and encouraged those who found themselves at a hard spot in their lives,” said Scott.

“She was a dedicated Christian, who loved her Lord, and was always reaching out to those hurting,” Scott shared. “She didn’t like the limelight.”

For a number of years she helped with the communion service at First Baptist. She would help with preparing the communion trays and getting things ready, and then would clean up after the service, even polishing the trays.

For several years, Judy and her husband, Jack, taught Sunday School at Hale’s Community Chapel.

And, it was not unusual for Judy to be found in the church kitchen washing dishes after a dinner at the church. “She didn’t mind getting her hands dirty for the Lord,” said Scott.

In earlier years, Scott said his mother enjoyed tole painting and doing ceramics. She and her mother enjoyed going to ceramics class together.

Scott described his mother as a good cook. “She could cook anything. There were times when we only had soup beans, fried potatoes and cornbread, when we sat down for dinner, but it was the best, and I still enjoy it for dinner,” Scott shared.

Scott recalled that his mother was dedicated to everything she did, whether it was keeping house, working at the church or on the job, and seldom did she miss a day of work on the job.

A friend, Judy Veeneman, shared on the funeral home tribute page that Judy taught her to make chicken casserole from scratch, “It’s been 50 years and I’ve never forgotten and it’s my most asked for dish on every occasion,” Judy shared.

Wendy and Linda Milan wrote, “We got to know her when she worked at Walgreens. We would go there just to talk to her. After she left Walgreens we saw her just a few times. We wish it could have been more. She was beautiful not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. Thank you for making us laugh.”

Judy was laid to rest March 21 at Happy Valley Memorial Park. But, she will not soon be forgotten as she touched so many lives through her friendliness and laughter. Truly, she earned her wings through her work on this earth.