I can’t remember the first time I met Julie, but I know that she welcomed me with open arms from the very beginning. During summer breaks, I got to visit her, and the rest of the Holman/Zerkle crew, in Chicago.  She shared her one bedroom apartment with us, most nights sleeping on the couch so Karen and I could have her bed. Even when she had to work long shifts the next day. I remember one morning being awake when she was leaving for work and talking with her about the devotional she read. I don’t remember the passage or message from the devotional, but I do remember being so impacted by watching her go to God’s Word early in the morning before a long, exhausting day. Julie generously gave her time, energy, and resources because she knew her Heavenly Father would continue to fill her up each new day.

One memory from the early years of visiting Julie: after staying at the Zerkle’s until late in the evening, Karen, Julie, and I walked home to Julie’s cute apartment/cottage. We were hungry, so Karen started making popcorn on the stove. Karen and I got distracted by our phones and left the oil in the pot. Julie came into the kitchen shocked to see fire coming out of the pot. Karen immediately followed what she learned in elementary school, “stop, drop, and roll,” while Julie carefully took the pot, put it outside, and poured baking soda to put out the fire. At some point the suggestion to put water on the fire came up and Julie exclaimed — “NO!” We were able to laugh about it later, but Julie’s immediate concern was for her sister and that she knew to never put water onto burning oil. She was protective, level-headed, and the person you want beside you in crisis situations.

Fast-forward three years, Karen and I totaled her car in Chicago while she was out-of-town. Her immediate response was not about the car but whether we were okay. She didn’t hold tightly to her possessions but cared deeply for her family and friends. 

Julie, Karen, and I lived together during the Covid era, with the very best neighbors, the Zerkle family. Coming from the UAE with seemingly nothing except our boxes of books and carpets that seemed important at the time, she shared everything with us and made our apartment so warm and inviting. Julie was patient, kind, and so helpful during a big transition of finding work and community in Chicago. 

One evening, we spent hours try to hang a bookshelf from IKEA. It was something outside of both of our expertise but since it’d be weeks before her dad was visiting, we really wanted to do it ourselves. After measuring, drilling lots of holes and not getting it right, we tried one last time to jerk the shelf into place and bam! It worked. We had no idea what we did and never really allowed anything important or heavy to be on the shelf because we knew the chances of it falling were great. But we were pretty proud of ourselves for getting it done :)

The "Prairie Girls" year will always be a favorite. Having three closets to get dressed from every day - Julie’s clothes were always the best. Daily walks around the South Loop. Sledding down hills with or without kids and barely avoiding serious injuries. Squeezing four adults and two kids into Elisabeth’s car so that we could all be together.

I could go on and on with memories of Julie and the Holman sisters in Chicago and Michigan. The joy and privilege of being included for family gatherings and watching their interactions and love for each other. The ways they all cram onto a couch and look so cozy, while there were several open chairs. Singing around the piano, walking arm and arm in the cold, watching old home movies in the basement with almost no volume. I’m honored to be an “adopted” Holman sister. Julie is the fun, responsible, generous, loving big sister that I got a little later in life but also at just the right time. She taught me lots — these are just a few things. I will miss her every day and will cherish every memory we had together. 

To Julie’s family,

I was lucky enough to know Julie at Lurie and than precept her for NP. I’m still confident though she taught me more than I could have ever taught her. 

She was one of the most selfless, genuine and funny people I have met. She loved being an auntie and loved talking about her time on mission trips. 

I feel lucky enough to have spoken with Julie last week before she left- she sent pictures of her exam rooms and was truly so excited for this mission.

Julie was the type of person that made you want to better yourself, and I promise to live each day doing my best for her ❤️

I had the immense joy of spending a very formative season of life alongside Julie. She was my constant companion as we served in Bangladesh together - forming one of those rare indescribable bonds that we knew would hold even when we were no longer in the same city. Fun, kind, compassionate, loving and just about every other good adjective could easily and frequently be used to describe Julie. We spent out nights serving the medical needs of those in the hospital, then leading the mothers in yoga sessions, braiding hair, getting henna tattoos from the patients moms, playing heads up, singing worship songs, talking about our faith and so much more! It was an immensely hard season made bright and joyful alongside Julie. 

A post is not enough to honor all that Julie was and the impact she’s left behind, but it’s brought me a sliver of joy in the midst of mourning to look back on some of our best times together over the years and remind me of how grateful I am to have been able to call her a friend - witnessing her impact on this world first hand. 

Thank you to those who created this page. As someone who knew and loved Julie dearly but wasn’t connected to her home life back in Chicago, it’s so lovely to see her life beyond the sliver that I was able to intersect with her.