LEILA “Gold Tooth Annie” HUDGINS
July 29, 1959 - July 6, 2008

The lovely Leila Cathy Hudgins of Fountain passed away on July 6, 2008 at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. 
She suffered from complications related to leukemia, a bone marrow transplant, Guillain-Barre Syndrome and scleroderma.
 Leila was born on July 29, 1959 in Rosemere, Quebec, Canada as the first of seven children to Stuart and Eva Wilson.  The family later moved to Salt Lake City, UT where Leila attended public schools.  She loved reading and would often be caught reading under the bed at night when she was supposed to be asleep.  Leila played the clarinet in the high school band, loved debate and was an excellent student.  After high school, Leila attended Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.  She entered the workforce as a bank teller and progressed to General Manager of the main branch of a major airline’s credit union.

On December 19, 1988, Leila married Michael Hudgins and they moved to Coral Gables, Florida where Michael continued his career in the cruise industry.  Over the next years, they lived in Los Angeles, CA, Salt Lake City, UT, Coral Springs, FL, Whitefish, MT, Dam B, TX, and Cleveland, TX and then settled in Fountain, CO.  They started a hydroponic tomato greenhouse business in Fountain in 1996 which led to the beginning of Leila’s true passion:  Cooking!  In 1998, Leila opened Gold Tooth Annie’s Restaurant and Produce in downtown Fountain.  This gave the Hudgins a good retail outlet for their tomatoes and allowed Leila to “wow” customers with her homemade goodies.  Leila loved that restaurant.  It not only gave her an outlet to do her wonders in the kitchen, but it also allowed her to be around so many wonderful people every day.  Nothing came before her customers.

The Hudgins sold the restaurant in 2001 and Leila focussed much of her time volunteering around the community and working with Michael in their corporate dining business.  In July 2002 Leila was thrown from her horse and broke her back, which was the beginning of a very difficult six years of injury and illness.  Leila and Michael were in a car accident in 2003 in which she received serious injuries.  Later that year she contracted West Nile fever.  Then, in 2004, she was diagnosed with leukemia, which eventually led to her passing.

To meet and visit only one time with Leila was enough to truly know her.  Her needs were very simple:  All she wanted was to be your friend and make you happy.  She was a person who had a genuine interest in everyone’s well being.  She loved her hugs!  Everyone knew when he or she saw her that one would be coming.  Through it all, Leila remained cheerful, optimistic, kind and always thinking of others.  She was very generous with her time, money and talents.
Her father, Stuart, preceded Leila in death.

 She is survived by her husband, Michael; mother; brothers Jay (Tracy), Scott (Marsha) and Jed (Stella); sisters Sharron (David), Tiina (Brent) and Laura (Joe).  Not having any children, Leila placed all of that available love with her many nieces and nephews.  They were precious to her, every one of them.  And, amazingly, each one knew that they were her favorite!
Funeral services were held on Saturday, July 12, at Putnam Chapel in Security, CO. 
Memorial donations may be made in the name of Leila Hudgins to the Fountain Valley Senior Center.