Terri Smith
Aunty Judi was a best friend of my mom and a constant in my life. I don’t know life without Aunty, and I will certainly miss her very much! There are so many great stories I can tell about her, but the one that always comes to mind is her identity as Secret Santa. Aunty Judi and my mom were close friends since they were teenagers. My mom had lost a dear uncle when she was young and always talked about how he would bring their family Almond Roca for Christmas. So Aunty Judi started a tradition of secretly leaving a small can outside on the washer every Christmas morning. For years we wondered who the Almond Roca Santa was until one Christmas when my brother hid in the patio to solve the mystery once and for all. She was so surprised to see him jump out from behind the wall, and we all had a good laugh.
I will miss those special things that Aunty did for us, and I’m grateful to have been blessed with her love and guidance throughout my life. I’m sure she and my mom are hanging out in heaven talking story and laughing about all the adventures they had in over 55 years of friendship. Praying for love and comfort for the Morikami and Kuba family. Aloha, Terri (Medeiros) Smith