Change in Date of Visitation and Funeral
Judy Ann Tidwell Smith, 76, of Hackleburg, Alabama, passed away on September 29, 2026, in Sheffield, Alabama. She was born on January 13, 1950. She was a member of Union Hill Baptist Church in Hackleburg, AL.
Her visitation will be Saturday October 3, 2026 from 11:00AM – 12:00NOON at Pinkard Funeral Home in Haleyville, AL. Funeral service Saturday October 3, 2026 at 12:00NOON in the chapel, with Michael Frederick officiating. Burial to follow in Winston Memorial Cemetery.
Judy was a woman who loved deeply, lived boldly, and gave her whole heart to the people she loved. Above all else, she loved the Lord and her family. Her faith was an important part of who she was, and she found great joy in caring for those around her.
Judy had a beautiful way of making people feel like family. You didn’t have to know her long before she welcomed you into her heart and, most likely, offered you something to eat. Her kitchen was a place of love, laughter, and fellowship. Cooking was one of the greatest ways Judy expressed her love, and many people will remember her not only for the wonderful meals she prepared, but for the love that came with every plate.
She was also a talented seamstress and took great pride in her work. She loved gardening and enjoyed the simple blessings that came from planting, growing, and tending to things with her own hands. Judy was upbeat, strong-willed, determined, and never afraid to speak her mind. She had a strength about her that those who knew her will never forget.
But beneath that strong spirit was an enormous heart. Judy loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren fiercely. She treasured time with her family and created memories that will be carried from one generation to the next. Her love will continue through every family recipe, every garden, every story, and every gathering where someone says, “Judy would have loved this.”
Judy is survived by her children, Robert Tidwell and wife, Mylena Tidwell; Jeremy Tidwell and wife, Tiffany Tidwell; Carrie Smith; Jamey Smith; Rickie Smith; and Diane Miller.
She leaves behind her grandchildren, Jonathan Tidwell; Daniel Tidwell and wife, Sarah Tidwell; Sam Tidwell; Trey Tidwell and wife, Madison Tidwell; and Maddox Tidwell, and her great-grandchildren, Abrahm Tidwell, Maddie Tidwell, and Chandler Tidwell. She is also survived by her sister, Becky Frey.
Judy was preceded in death by her husbands, Robert Tidwell Sr. and Richard Smith; her father, Jim Foster; her mother, Esther Stults; and her brothers, Jimmy Foster and Rodney Foster.
The emptiness left behind by Judy’s passing is something words cannot fully describe. Her family and friends will miss her voice, her laughter, her determination, her cooking, and the way she could make an ordinary day feel special simply by being there. They will miss being able to call her, sit at her table, share a meal with her, and hear her tell a story.
But those who loved Judy can hold onto the promise she believed in—the promise of seeing her again.
As Jesus said in John 14:1–3:
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you.”
Judy spent her life loving her family and trusting in her Lord. Now, her family finds comfort in knowing that she has gone home to the place prepared for her.
Though our hearts are broken, we do not say goodbye without hope. We say, “Until we meet again.”
Judy’s hands may no longer be busy in her kitchen or garden, and her chair may now sit empty, but the love she gave will never leave. She will live on in the hearts of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family, and every person she welcomed as her own.
She was deeply loved. She will be greatly missed. And she will never be forgotten.
