On August 2, 2024, Julia Victoria ‘Vickie’ Godbee Hudson will be celebrating her 103rd birthday! Vickie is incredibly active, maneuvering her rollator through the halls of Southern Manor Senior Living in Statesboro, Georgia, where she has lived for the past six years.
She enjoys trivia, bingo, crafts, and has a particular passion for painting and doodling.
Vickie moved to Statesboro at 97 and loves life with her extended family, who affectionately call her "Mema." Born on a family farm in Girard, Georgia, on August 2, 1921, Vickie graduated from Girard High School in 1938, instilled with a strong work ethic.
In 1941, she moved to Savannah and began her business career at S.H. Kress and Savannah Machine & Foundry. She completed her education at Draughon's Practical Business College in 1951.
After graduation, Vickie took a job at Pete Hudson Motors, a used car dealership, where she met and married Earl ‘Pete’ Hudson. They ran the business together until Pete’s retirement in 1979. Vickie fondly recalls Pete as a "good husband" and remembers their love for Cadillacs, even naming their first child Cadillac Victoria Hudson after three cars.
The Hudsons had two children, Cadillac ‘Kitty’ Victoria and Grover, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Never one to be idle, Vickie later worked at Memorial Hospital in the accounting department for 27 years, retiring early at the age of 85. She was known for typing 100 words per minute and her shorthand skills, which made transitioning to computer work easy.
Vickie was active in many committees and organizations, serving as President of the Azalea Chapter of the American Business Women's Association (ABWA), being named ABWA Woman of the Year in 1970, forming the Ladies Auxiliary of the Savannah Independent Auto Dealers Association (SIADA), and serving as President and Church Treasurer at Wesley Oak Methodist Church for 50 years.
Vickie attributes her great life to her early years on the farm, picking cotton and riding cotton trucks. She also took art classes, and her paintings are impressively beautiful. Known for her playful and mischievous (yet sweet and harmless) sense of humor, Vickie loves telling jokes and making people smile.
On her 100th birthday, she doodled ‘100 years and going strong,’ and she certainly is!
Her favorite color is light blue, and she loves chocolate, especially M&Ms and chocolate cake with chocolate icing.
Happy 103rd Birthday, Vickie! Wishing you many happy, healthy, and chocolate-filled days!
