Judi Clare Herring

Judi passed away Monday at her Albany home.

She was born in Salem, Oregon to Kenneth “Pete” and Helene Petersen. She attended Jefferson schools for her education.

Judi met her life partner, Franklin Herring in grade school and they eventually married on April 23, 1969. Following thirty-two years of marriage, the couple divorced September 11, 2001. Maintaining their life-long friendship despite the end of their marriage, they reconnected after several years and lived together as partners in Albany, Oregon until her passing.

Judi held many jobs through her career most notably a long career as the Albertsons’ Service Deli Manager in Albany, Oregon. Her skills and success in this position led to many company accolades and she routinely was asked to train new Service Deli managers and assist in opening new stores for the company. She retired from Albertsons’ and worked several more jobs including cake decorating and hostess at Sweet Waters in Albany before finally fully retiring to enjoy her later years.

Judi was an avid sports participant and fan. For many years, she and husband Frank played co-ed volleyball together. She also enjoyed playing tennis, golf, and card games in her free time. She always enjoyed watching sports in person (including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and the Winter Olympics in 2010) as well as on television.

In her retirement, Judi was able to fully embrace several of her favorite passions including travel, television shows, movies, and reading. She was able to travel to several European countries during multiple trips as well as many States in the US, several Canadian provinces, and multiple trips to Mexico. Judi’s television and movie preference tended to lead to what she referred to as “relaxing” shows that usually included lots of action and adventure. Her passion for reading fully emerged with her free time after retirement. Judi loved reading mysteries as well as action/adventure novels. She would never admit to having a favorite author, but it was rare for her to not have at least one Clive Cussler novel in her list of books she was reading, or in the queue to be read soon.

Judi is survived by her life-partner, Frank Herring, her brother Dale Petersen, her daughter Kimberly Jolene Ridders, her two sons Curtis Michael Herring and Scott Allen Herring, as well as seventeen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Tamara Sue Wheeler and brothers Gary Lee Petersen, Lonnie Petersen, and Gayle Petersen.

A Celebration of Life event will be held at a future date.