JULIE ANN MARIE (JONES) NEWELL
August 17, 1950 - October 19, 2007

Last Updated on August 17, 2020
Rachel's "70th Birthday" Tribute to Julie


My first and favorite picture of Julie...one she later had made into an 8x10 color picture as a Christmas present. It was her "Senior Picture" when she graduated from Cairo High School in 1968. Excuse the crumpled look...it resided in my billfold for 37 years. Awwwww...
"I HOPE YOU DANCE!"

This Web site is my own personal labor of love...a tribute to my wife and best friend of over 30 years...a remarkable woman who touched the lives of so many people in a most positive way. Being privy to her most intimate thoughts and most of her grand adventures, I have memories to share that will remind those who knew Julie of why we all will dearly miss her. As photos and comments are added, you will most likely learn new things that will make you smile, may even make you laugh out loud. For that was Julie's labor of love...her legacy if you will...to lift the spirits of those fortunate enough to have entered her gravitational pull.

This Web site is also my personal way of working through the "stages of grief"...to reach the fifth and final stage of "acceptance".

Hey, it's a goal...

This picture of Julie is from 2001...the picture that hung on the wall at the headquarters of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. Julie made history in November 2000 when she became the first African American to be elected to the IMRF Board of Trustees.

LINKS POSTED/UPDATED
Visitation "In Memory" Card 10-24-07
Funeral Service Program 10-25-07
Funeral Musical Selections 10-26-07
Ron's Tribute to Julie 10-27-07
Tribute by Tammy Terry 10-28-07
Car Wreck of 1995 11-1-07
Car Wrecks & Jealousy 11-2-07
I Want What She's Having 11-3-07
Ruth Bailey...On The Floor 11-3-07
"Who Knew?" by Julie A. Newell 11-4-07
Topless in Cancun 11-5-07
One Day...Under the Rainbow 11-6-07
My Sister-In-Law Rachel Jones 11-6-07
Doo Dee Doo Dee Doo Dee Doo Dee 11-6-07
More Doo Dee Doo 11-7-07
Now That I Am Gone 11-7-07
Julie's Brain on Drugs 11-8-07
Health Updates - Recall 11-9-07
"Who Knew?" by Julie A. Newell...Revisited 11-9-07
A Kiss On The Cheek 11-10-07
Julie Takes A Stand 11-11-07
Cooking for Chemo 11-12-07
Busted in New York City 11-15-07
Cows 11-17-07
In Defense of "Ronnie" 11-18-07
Thanksgiving Without Julie 11-19-07
Snakes 11-23-07
Fat Little Thighs 11-26-07
I Need A Hug 11-28-07
Insurance Policy 11-30-07
"Winky" by Rachel Jones 12-2-07
Our First Date 12-7-07
Featured in Arthritis Today 12-11-07
Featured in IEA's Advocate 12-14-07
A Tale of Two Turkeys 12-24-07
Rachel's Blog - "Boxing Day" 12-26-07
Blahg Humbug 1-1-08
Woman is the N***** of the World 1-2-08
UNHappy Anniversary 1-10-08
Julie's Headstone - Pictures Added 1-12-08
New Julie Pictures 1-17-08
Last Birthday Card 1-21-08
Final Thoughts on Julie's Funeral 1-24-08
ESP Milestones in the IEA 1-26-08
Keeping Up and Cooking Up With The Joneses 1-28-08
Rain 2-4-08
More Julie Pictures 2-10-08
Last Valentine's Day Card 2-15-08
P.S. I Love You 2-16-08
Love Letters... 2-19-08
Analyze This 2-24-08
Ain't Got No Toofuses 3-1-08
Grace 3-8-08
Fans 3-23-08
Expression of Love 3-30-08
Chain, Chain, Chain 4-14-08
Lobsters Rock 4-27-08
"Going Home" by Princess Rachella 5-5-08
"It's a Beautiful Day..." by Princess Rachella 5-7-08
"Messages in Bronze and Stone" by Princess Rachella 5-14-08
Odd Thomas 5-24-08
Circle of Life 5-26-08
Empty Garden 6-3-08
Slugs, Bugs, and Things That Go Moo in the Night 6-5-08
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words 6-8-08
Signs...of Biblical Proportions 6-10-08
Circle of Life...Mystery Solved 6-11-08
Keep Going 'Round in Circles 6-16-08
"We are the Champions" by Princess Rachella 6-24-08
THEY are the Champions 6-28-08
Love for Dummies 7-1-08
Owls 7-4-08
"Signed", Sealed, Delivered...We're Hers 7-6-08
In the Ear of the Beholder 7-18-08
Do Something 7-20-08
To Miss, With Love 7-25-08
Say...CHEESE! 8-3-08
Vanity...Thy Name Is Rachel 8-6-08
Pity Party 8-8-08
Who's That I See Walking In These Woods? 8-9-08
No More Walks in the Woods 8-12-08
Do You Love Me? 8-17-08 - Midnight
Pity Party II 8-17-08 - 11 a.m.
What Would Julie Do? 8-17-08 - 11 p.m.
The Wind Beneath Her Wings 8-19-08
"Moth Memories" by Princess Rachella 9-19-08
They Call Me MISTER Newell 10-7-08
"The Visitor" by Princess Rachella 10-13-08
"Anno Domini" by Princess Rachella 10-16-08
She Was Just Seventeen 10-17-08
Sad Songs (Say So Much) 10-18-08
The Final Stage 10-19-08 - 11:55 a.m.
"A Promise Kept" by Princess Rachella 10-19-08
Circle of Life II 10-19-08 - 7:45 p.m.
The Final Stage II 10-19-08 - 11:55 p.m.
It Is To Laugh 10-20-08
Somewhere in Time 10-21-08
So Far Away 10-22-08
A Sign A Day 10-23-08
Somewhere in Time II 10-24-08
Black Magic Woman & Musings 11-1-08 - Noon
Addendum to "Musings" 11-1-08 - 12:30 p.m.
Third Time's The Charm 11-1-08 - 3:00 p.m.
This Bud's For You 11-3-08
An Obama Fan 11-5-08
No Ordinary Life 11-8-08
A "Dear Ron" Letter 11-30-08
Down...But Not Out 12-15-08
Christmas 2008 12-25-08
"Tunnel Vision" by Princess Rachella 12-29-08
Pink - "Who Knew" - Song Lyrics 12-31-08
Happy New Year 1-1-09
Here's What's Playing on Julie's iPod Today... 1-6-09
The Visitor II 1-13-09
Sam 1-18-09
"Junior" 1-19-09
Putting Words to the Music 2-14-09
Lonesome Dove 2-15-09
The End 2-25-09
"Project Archangel Julie" by Rachel 3-20-09
"Stalked by Rainbows" by Rachel 3-31-09
Butterfly House Memorial Paver 5-11-09
"Eat, Play, Learn" by Rachel 5-15-09
Epilogue 5-25-09
Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin 6-25-09
Fire and Rain 8-17-09
Stalked by Rainbows II 8-17-09
Signs That Keep On Giving 8-19-09
"Standing My Ground" by Princess Rachella 9-14-09
"Ooh, Ooh, Child, Things Will Get Brighter" by Princess Rachella 9-24-09
"A Romance Novel" by Julie A. Newell - Chapter One 10-12-09
Because You Loved Me 10-19-09
"From Both Sides Now" by Princess Rachella 10-19-09
"Electrical Impulses" by Princess Rachella 10-30-09
You're Beautiful 11-7-09
Hey, Soul Sister 11-30-09
"Twas the Night Before Christmas at JKIA" by Princess Rachella 12-24-09
Happy Christmas 12-25-09
When God Winks at You 2-14-10
One More Day With You 3-31-10
When God Winks at You II 4-12-10
Time of Your Life 4-27-10
"We Are The Champions, The Sequel" by Princess Rachella 6-6-10
"One Moment In Time" by Princess Rachella 7-28-10
The Birthday Present 8-12-10
"Will You Still Need Me..." by Princess Rachella 8-16-10
"Seriously, Julie? SERIOUSLY?????" by Princess Rachella 8-17-10
I Can Hardly Express...My Mixed Emotions 8-21-10
"In the Pink" by Princess Rachella 10-19-10
In the Pink Too 10-19-10
On My Wedding Day 12-8-10
Coming By It Honestly 1-16-11
"In The Name Of Love" 3-19-11
Best Laid Plans 6-24-11
I Was Here 8-17-11
Valentine's Day 2012 2-15-12
Birthday Butterfly 2012 9-1-12
It Was Five Years Ago Today... 10-19-12
Postscript 10-19-12
Rachel's Tribute to Her Mother 10-11-13
Rachel's Birthday Butterfly Card 10-31-13
Rachel's Facebook Post...Julie's 64th Birthday 8-17-14
7 Years On... 10-19-14
Halloween 2014 10-31-14
Sunny Disposition 2-26-15
Bittersweet Memories 3-5-15
Day of the Girl 10-11-15
Eight Years Later 10-19-15
Peter's Tribute to His Parents 4-14-16
Nine Years Later 10-19-16
Peter Jones...On the Radio 1-13-17
Rachel's "Prized Possession" 1-26-17
Brother Peter..."When I'm 64" 9-16-17
Sister Rachel..."Who Saves the Superheroes?" 6-12-18
Brother Peter's Musings 7-3-20
Rachel's "70th Birthday" Tribute to Julie 8-17-20

The display below originated with the collage that was presented at Julie's visitation...to show her many faces over the years.

The pictures are loosely grouped by categories...with a miscellaneous category to catch the remainder.

Do NOT expect the pictures to be in chronological order...it ain't gonna happen. The vast majority of photos did not have dates...and I'm too old to remember!


School Pictures
School Secretary
11-13-07
Julie
11-14-07
Marriage
11-13-07
Family
11-14-07

Prom
11-13-07
We B Cruisin'
11-12-07 		Travel
11-14-07
Miscellaneous
11-14-07
Bonus - For Fun
11-13-07

Folks keep "pestering" me - and I do appreciate it - inquiring as to my general state of mind.

I'm movin' on...livin' life. Will continue to take one day at a time...have had a lot of practice over the past ten years. However...I intend to post more pictures, tell some more stories, continue remembering how lucky I was when Julie Newell dreamed me into life.

For those of you who wish to accompany me down memory lane...I'm more than happy to share.

For those of you who don't want to dwell in the past...want to get on with living life...that's fine too. Julie showed you the way!

Dance!