Julianna V. Richards

Julianna (Julie) V. Richards passed away Monday, July 1, 2013, of natural causes after celebrating a wonderful life of 91 years. Julie grew up a farm in Ohio getting up each morning, doing chores before and after school, fitting in playtime with her sister Mary, and cousin Martin (who grew up with them like a brother). After supper, it was homework by candlelight since they didn't have electricity. Dresses were often made from the flour sacks. She graduated top of her class and went on to college to be a Pharmacist. After the first year, she had to quit to return to the farm with her mom dying of cancer. She stayed to help on the farm until World War II began. She worked in a steel fabrication plant as an overhead crane operator until the end of the war.

In 1948, most of the boys had returned from the war, and it was also when Julie met and married a veteran Marine, Don Werner. Over the next 5 years, they bought a farm in Lordstown, Ohio, and had 3 daughters, Donna (1950), Janice (1951), and Susan (1953). She became a farmer's wife, not only working as a helpmate in the fields, but also kept house, tended a quarter acre vegetable garden, keeping the 2 freezers full and canning as well. There was also a steer or two that would join the vegetables in the freezers each year. As the face of farming changed in our nation, Don found that he could make more money working in the steel mill than farming.

As the girls grew up, Julie saw that they had plenty to do. They each had a plot of ground next to her vegetable garden where they would grow their own vegetables. The chicken coop became a life size doll house with bales of hay used as a table, chairs, and bed. By the time Donna (the oldest) started school, Julie had started a classroom setting just off the kitchen in a small room (probably a walk-in pantry). Donna would come home from school and play teacher, teaching the other two girls on the blackboard on the wall. Each girl had their own small blackboard they would practice on as well. There was a box for their toys. There were activity books, crayons with coloring books, and many books. Julie was a reader, and encouraged reading on a daily basis. This also included Bible books and stories since Julie taught Sunday School at our Lutheran church.

1959 brought on a lot of changes. Don had gotten into trucking and liked it better than the steel mill. Florida was booming in growth and trucking was good. So, it was off to Orlando. It would also mean the baby, Susi, would be able to start 1st grade at 5 years of age, instead of waiting another year. Julie became a suburban mom. She got active in the school with the PTA, bowling with other moms, and a leader of the Girl Scouts, starting with the Brownies with all her daughters included.

1962 the family moved to Ocoee, Fl. Julie became a part of the community and her children's school with the PTA. Living on a lake, fishing became not only a favorite past time, but was a source of many protein meals at home. Many an afternoon, she would be standing lakeside, fishing, as the girls came home from school. She saw that her girls shared in the responsibility of keeping the house clean, ironing their own clothes, and assisting in the kitchen.

When her girls went into high school, she decided to go back to school. She graduated at the top of her nursing class at the age of 47, and went on to work in the cardiac care unit of Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she continued to work in many trauma areas, open heart recovery, the burn unit, and the intensive care unit. Her competent and caring attitude won her accolades among her peers, the doctors, and her patients.

As lives change and grow, Julie and Don divorced, and the girls left home beginning their own lives. Julie was bowling more often each week, playing on several leagues. She met Billy Richards at the bowling alley. One of the women she played with asked Billy to help Julie with her bowling, and the rest is history as they say.

April 13, 1970, they married and Julie lived with her husband, Billy (Bill) Ray Richards, for 43 years who gave her a yellow rose for each year of their marriage upon their anniversary. They shared a home on Charles Street in Orlando for 41 of those years where they both worked until retirement. They enjoyed golfing, fishing, bowling, traveling and working with Bill's letter carrier union (NACL) in charity activities. Julie continued to work with the Lutheran church family all her life, enjoying working in service areas, such as the altar guild, and cooking for many of the church year celebrations. In recent years, the Zion New Life Lutheran Church families weekly support she enjoyed and looked forward to every week.

Julie and Bill opened their hearts and home to Julie's daughters, and rejoiced in each of the 4 grandchildren which included Susan's children, Jason (1977), Jessica (1978), and Jared (1979), and Donna's child, Donald (1982). Julie and Bill spent many retirement hours with them and later in life were blessed to spend a lot of time with Jessica's daughter, Ashley (1999), their great granddaughter.

Julie's enjoyment in life was the time she gave to others. Weather it was for her family, her work, or her church, she gave of herself freely and unselfishly, not only financially, but with herself. She invested herself in service to others, of which there is no greater gift.

Please join us in celebrating her life not by sending flowers, but a donation to Zion New Life Lutheran Church building fund, Winter Garden, Fl.