Thomas "Tommy" Weldon Hudson Sr.

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Visitation will be at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, at Collier-Butler Funeral Home for Thomas Weldon (Tommy) Hudson Sr., 69, who passed away peacefully at home on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. He loved his life and will be greatly missed by all those who were a part of it.

Tommy was born in Gadsden, Alabama, on Nov. 4, 1948, to H.W. and Margarete Hudson, joining sister Carolynn. His childhood was filled with memorable experiences, from fishing for bream at Goodyear Lake to camping trips as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout. Frequent trips to New Orleans to visit family produced cherished memories of crab and shrimp boils on the bayou, and swimming in Lake Pontchartrain. There were also many memories made in Jasper, Alabama, visiting the family farm for huge Fourth of July reunions. Many hours were spent there enjoying stories from great uncles gifted in the tradition of Southern storytelling.

Tommy always loved sports, especially football, which he played throughout his school years, earning a scholarship to Jacksonville State University. He was an avid fan of Alabama football.

Tommy also had a heart for all animals, and better not see or hear of one being mistreated. He had many cherished pets throughout his life - the last nine years his constant companion has been a beautiful red rescue, Ruby, the Best Dog in the World.

In 1993, Tommy and his wife Jane bought some land on Noccalula mountain. He got a bulldozer, dump truck, and other such tools and went about shaping parts of the property to his vision. He also built a dam to catch water from a spring, and a beautiful mountain lake is the result, stocked with bream and bass. He also indulged another of his passions, flowers, planting thousands of wildflowers everywhere.

Another hobby was playing foosball on his old Dynamo table with the same three friends for thirty-plus years. His love of foosball began when he and Larry "Friz" Mynatt took their turn owning and operating the Buffalo Bar in the '70s. Many great stories emerged from the Buffalo era, and are still fun to hear and tell again and again.

After retirement from Goodyear in 2003, Tommy had more time to spend on things he was very concerned about, such as the direction in which the state of Alabama and the country were moving. It led him to research and write many letters to the editor in The Gadsden Times. Tommy hated corruption in politics or anywhere else, and did his best to hold the offenders accountable. He spent hours on the phone up to the last month of his life, calling on politicians to stop cheating the American people. And especially, Tommy wanted his fellow citizens to take the time to understand what was going on and to join him in his fight for the country.

Finally, Tommy was a wonderful husband, and loved his family deeply. He would go the extra mile to help a friend who needed it, and often a stranger as well. He is already sorely missed. Goodbye, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother. You will live forever in our hearts.

Tommy is survived by his wife Jane, son Tom Jr. and granddaughter Hanna Hudson, daughter Elizabeth Paige (Scott) Roberson and grandchildren Makenzie and Connor Roberson, sister Carolynn Hudson, and beloved dog, Ruby.

Flowers are welcome, or donations can be made to M D Anderson Cancer Research Hospital in Houston - they gave Tommy an extra 3.5 years. Heartfelt thanks to the wonderful folks at Amedisys Hospice: Kim Ray, PTA, Melanie Robertson, HHA, Kayla Moore, LPN, Luke Small, RN, Carmen Wagnon, RN, and Melissa Price, RN.