Judith (Judi) Anne Simili, who grew up in Pacific Palisades and graduated from Palisades High, died on August 29 at her home in Thousand Oaks, after a seven-year battle with cancer. She was 52. Judi was born October 11, 1956 in Santa Monica to Beverly and Roger Johnson. After the family moved to the Palisades when Judi was 9, her mother attended a Miss Palisades contest and remembers thinking, ‘She’s going to be Miss Palisades some day.’ In 1972, Judi indeed entered the contest and was first runner-up to Anne de Varennes. One of the judges at the contest, producer Jerry Paris, liked Judi and gave her a job as a regular extra on the popular television series ‘Happy Days.’ A year later, Judi was selected as Miss Santa Monica (a city where her dad was a fire department battalion chief) and Junior Miss California. Famed Santa Monica Canyon photographer Peter Gowland sought Judi out after her Miss Santa Monica win and took her modeling portfolio pictures, considered a signal honor. Family friends Joe and Betty Weider, titans of the body-building industry and partners of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his pre-acting days, took Judi under their wings and oversaw her career in modeling and acting (including an appearance in ‘Jaws’). Top modeling agencies Nina Blanchard and Ford also sought Judi out for her fresh California-girl look, which radiated off the pages of magazine ads for Cover Girl makeup and in clothing catalogues. In addition, she worked as a flight attendant for Golden West Airlines. Judi married Nicholas Simili and they raised three children (Aundrea, Gina and Nicholas) in Thousand Oaks. Most recently, she taught autistic and special-needs children in the Thousand Oaks-Conejo Valley area. Judi was predeceased by her father in 2001 and her brother, Bruce, in 2007. She is survived by her husband, Nick; daughters Aundrea Simili Webb (husband Doug) and Gina Simili; son Nick Simili; and her mother, Beverly Johnson. A memorial service was held on September 4 in Thousand Oaks at the Saint Paschal Baylon Catholic Church. ‘My daughter was loving and had so many friends,’ Judi’s mother said. ‘She even had a friend from Florida who came to the service.’
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