Victoria Leslie Foody

Our beloved Victoria (Tori) Leslie Foody passed away on December 29th in Los Angeles where she was living the life she dreamed of for the past four years. Tori's radiant spirit, boundless heart and effervescent personality will forever be etched in the hearts of her family and friends. She was sunshine and joy and sparkle and shine to all who knew and loved her.

Tori made her grand entrance into the world on May 4, 1994 in Tampa as the daughter of Mary Kay and E.J. Foody. Eighteen months later she embraced the role of big sister to brother Trey Foody.

A bright, active and faithful servant, she attended eight years at Corpus Christi Catholic School in Temple Terrace, where she was a Sacristan and Altar Server. Tori was active in Track, Choir, Bell Choir, School House Rock, Yearbook, Video Production and Student Government. During this time, she discovered her love of swimming, the breaststroke was her favorite, where she swam competitively for Aquatic Club Temple Terrace (ACTT) and Tampa Bay Aquatics (TBAY).

Tori blossomed in high school at The Academy of Holy Names, an all-girls school, where she hit the ground running making a lifetime impact. She served as president of Student Council, captained the Swim Team and shared her energetic charm leading her school’s “Morning Show.” Tori’s generosity knew no bounds – she celebrated each classmates’ birthdays by baking them her special brownies. Graduating with honors, Tori was presented the coveted Mothers Association Award.

Life’s next adventure was the University of Georgia where she pursued a degree in Food Science. She embraced everything about UGA and Dawg Nation!! She was a proud member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Her studies led her abroad to Cortona, Italy, to study wine and viticulture and then off to Costa Rica exploring the coffee bean-to-cup process. With her vivacious character and infectious smile, Tori worked in UGA admissions office, welcoming both eager prospective students and nervous parents to the UGA community.

As a true “foodie,” she joined Kraft-Heinz post-graduation. Within weeks of settling into Jacksonville, her position was being phased out. As the fearless woman she was, Tori immediately said, “I found this job and I’ll find another!” Soon she was on the road to Charlotte working for S&D Coffee and Tea responsible for their coffee ideations. Tori joined the Charlotte Comedy Theater for Improv and truly found her passion and inspiration which allowed her comedic spirit, quirkiness and love of laughter to soar!

So where does a budding comic go next to develop both her improv skills and career - Los Angeles, of course. She initially worked for Discovery/Food Network in sales and advertising and was recruited by LG where she excelled. She was swiftly promoted and loved being at LG, the people, the accounts and the creativity.

Through it all, Tori continued her improv craft at the Groundlings made famous by SNL alumni. There she met her tribe of warm, loving and supportive comedic friends. Most recently she was active in perfecting her performance and improv skills with Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) founded by Amy Poehler.

Empathetic, compassionate and giving, Tori understood the importance of giving back and served on two mission trips to Mississippi during high school. She was appointed to The Mayor’s Youth Corp in Tampa her senior year. Tori also attended South Florida Leadership Training Camp (SFLTC) and later became a camp counselor making life-long friends who knew and loved her as “Dory”. At UGA, she served on the executive board for UGA Miracle Dance Marathon that united college students across the country to raise funds to improve children’s health. She recently completed an arduous orientation to become a volunteer at the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital where she shared her time each Sunday as she wanted to resume her support of children’s health.

Though Tori’s time with us was brief, it was brilliantly lived, and her spirit will forever endure. She leaves behind her parents Mary Catherine (Mary Kay) and Edmund Joseph (E.J.) Foody, brother Edmund Joseph (Trey) Foody III along with her uncles Jim Foody, Mike Machak and Dan Machak, and her aunt Laura Machak Bargas (Joe) and cousins Emily and Caden Bargas.

We invite you to celebrate Tori’s life and beautiful soul on Wednesday, January 24 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Temple Terrace. Visitation is from 12 -1 pm, with Mass starting at 1 pm. Join family and friends at the Temple Terrace Country Club from 2-5 pm to share your cherished Tori memory as you mingle. The service will be streamlined. Check back for details.

In lieu of flowers, we kindly request online donations in Tori’s memory be made to the UGA Miracle, a cause close to her heart that continued to inspire her dedication to giving back. Checks to UGA Miracle can be mailed to153 Tate Student Center, Athens, GA 30602. Let us all honor Tori’s legacy by spreading, love, laughter and kindness, just as she did throughout her extraordinary life.