Stories of Service
Foster Grandmother Making a Difference in Her Community!
Judy Snead
Foster Grandparents - Lenawee County
Judy was born at Bixby Hospital in Adrian on April 10th, 1941. Her parents, Frank and Goldie Snead, had 10 children in addition to Judy. She was the second oldest of her siblings, which included 6 girls and 5 boys. Judy’s father worked at a factory to support the family. Her mother stayed home with the kids.
Judy’s memories of her childhood are filled with fun and happiness. Being one of the oldest kids, she helped her parents out with the cooking and cleaning. She enjoyed it. One of her favorite things to do as a child was to go out to her Grandma’s house; her siblings and her got away with doing more things there! Her Grandma lived on a farm that had chickens, cows and horses. Judy and her siblings got to ride the horses. They also got to feed the chickens and gather the eggs.
At the young age of 12 Judy got her first job. She was a janitor at a school. She really enjoyed her time there. She also babysat during her teen years.
Judy grew up in and went to school in Adrian. She gradated from Adrian High School in 1959. After graduating, she worked at Big Boy as a waitress.
Judy got married when she was 18. Her husband Tom and her went on to have one child. She gave birth to her daughter at Bixby Hospital in Adrian. They named her Carol. After 10 years together, Judy and and her husband divorced. She is a grandmother now and enjoys seeing her granddaughter.
Some activities Judy enjoys in her free time are doing crossword puzzles, word finds and jigsaw puzzles. She also likes working in her flower garden when its nice outside. She hopes to visit Florida more, where three of her sisters currenly live.
Many years ago Judy was working at a laundromat when an older lady named Doris struck up a conversation with her. She started telling her about the work she did for the Foster Grandparent Program and raved about how great it was being a part of young childrens lives. This got Judy thinking and she decided to give it a try.
Five years later, she’s still in the program and loving it. Judy says her favorite part about it is the kids. She loves listening to the stories they tell; she thinks they are so funny! She also enjoys how much they look forward to seeing her each day, greeting her with a smile on their face and a big hug. What a great gift she is giving these young kids. Thank you for all you do, Judy!