Julie Kaye Sawyer passed away peacefully on April 17, 2024, at home and with family by her side, after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. She was just 44.

Julie was born on August 21, 1979 to Richard Sawyer and Elizabeth (Larkin) Sawyer of Storrs, Conn. After attending Mansfield public schools until her senior year, Julie graduated from Coginchaug High School in Durham, Conn., in 1998. She began her college education at Southern Vermont College the same year, but took a few detours before ultimately earning two Bachelor's degrees, in Health Care Administration and Nursing, and starting a Master's program in Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing, which she set aside when the pandemic began.

Before becoming a Registered Nurse (RN), Julie enjoyed jobs as varied as lifeguarding and driving a tow truck; whatever she did, she became expert at it. But nursing was her calling: she began her career as a nursing assistant (CNA), supporting her young family for 13 years in a wide array of facilities, including Masonicare in Wallingford, Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation (where she later worked as an RN), and Home Instead senior home care in Middletown. As an RN, she worked at Woodlake at Tolland Rehab and Nursing, the Eating Disorder Unit at Rockville General Hospital, at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford, and as nurse supervisor at Douglas Manor in Windham, developing a vast network of friends-slash-colleagues across central and eastern Connecticut along the way. Since Julie's passing, many of them have shared stories about her impact on their own nursing education and practice, describing her as positive, knowledgeable, and a fierce patient advocate: "the kind of nurse I aspire to be." Beyond the day-to-day, Julie was also a champion of patients' rights.

Julie developed a special fondness for working with geriatric and psychiatric patients before moving into surgical medicine and finally finding her place at the Emergency Department of St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, which she described as her dream job. She continued working there until the final weeks of her illness, and was devastated to have to go on leave. As a patient of the hospital and cancer center, however, she was able to continue to see her "work family" in a different context; they were among her staunchest supporters as she powered through round after round of treatment.

From a young age, Julie knew she wanted to be a mom; she became a mother in her mid-twenties to three sons, Nathan Nicholson, David Shipe, and Gabriel Shipe. She raised her "boys" (now young men) largely as a single mother, and for most of their school years they lived in her late grandparents' house, where her mother and aunt were also raised. It’s a house she always loved except, famously, for the pachysandra. She also became a "dog mom" to a miniature pinscher, Max.

Julie worked hard to support her young family while continuing to advance her education; she also played hard. A fan of an astonishingly wide range of musical acts, she loved introducing her kids and friends to the joys of a raucous concert experience. Julie loved traveling and exploring; a highlight in recent years was a trip to Alaska with her mother and sons the year she turned 40. Two weeks before her death, she and her partner drove the length of Cape Cod for the first time, exploring beaches and lighthouses. She was an enthusiastic gardener, a prolific crocheter, a competitive pool player, and a roller derby referee (her derby name was "Knit Picky").

Instead of just running or hiking, Julie would often make a game of her hobbies: she joined the Run 169 Towns Society – aspiring to run a road race in each of the state's 169 towns – and officially made it through 42 towns before an injury sidelined her. For years, she made a point to visit the highest-elevation points in each state she visited, pulling her traveling companions along with her. Somehow, she would make pulling over and walking five minutes into the woods to Rhode Island's highest point – a six-foot elevation gain – into an adventure.

Julie's partner William Lauritzen accompanied her on most of her adventures in recent years, and saw her through the challenges, too. While they had met in passing as far back as middle school, the two reconnected six years ago and spent many happy days together in the woods, fishing, camping, taking scenic drives, off-roading, playing pool and cribbage, and listening to records. Bill became family: he was a steadfast source of love, calm, and support throughout her life and illness.

In addition to her three sons and partner Bill, Julie is survived by her parents Richard Sawyer (Joy Sawyer) and Liz Sawyer (Jim Ulm), her sister Wendy Sawyer (PJ Eastman), many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and her dog Max. She is deeply missed.

There will be a celebration of Julie's life on May 18, 2024 at 2-4 pm at Andover Congregational Church in Andover, Conn. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to Julie's GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/support-juli… or directly to an account managed by her mother, both of which will support her sons during this time of transition.

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