Julie Louise Wilharm

Although Julie struggled with Multiple Sclerosis for over 40 years, she maintained a wonderful positivity in recent years and never lost her endearing sense of humor. The sudden respiratory failure that caused her death developed very quickly, and her family is grateful that she evidently did not suffer.

Julie Louise Wilharm was born on April 23rd, 1947, the cherished only child of Col. Carl Theodore Schmidt, PhD, and Capt. Christie M Schmidt, née Tollefson. Julie’s mother Christie, an alumni of Northern Iowa University, gave birth to Julie in Iowa, but before that she was deployed on active duty with the Women’s Army Corp. in WWII, where she met and married Col Carl T. Schmidt. Julie’s father, a celebrated American scholar who earned his BS and PhD at UCA Berkeley, was an economics professor at Columbia University who authored several books and testified before the US House of Representatives, and was also a Colonel in the US Army. Due to her parents’ busy duties, Julie attended boarding school in Switzerland for several years of her girlhood, which was an exciting time in her life.

Julie’s first grief came when her beloved father died at age 52 when she was only 11. Julie was devastated, as she loved her father so very much. She and her mother traveled back to the States via a trans-Atlantic cruise, which she remembered as the first thing that brought a smile to her face after the loss of her father. Julie often spoke fondly of her teenage years in Berkeley, CA., where she lived with her mother until she attended college at Iowa State University and joined the Kappa Delta sorority. Here she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design, which she put to good use in exquisitely decorating the homes she lived in as she traveled the world as a Navy wife, as well as the beautiful homes she put together as a mother. Julie worked in interior design at furniture and fabric stores before her marriage and as a young wife prior to motherhood. Iowa State U. is also where she met and fell in love with fellow student E. Marshall Wilharm. Julie and Marshall were married in Pensacola, FL on June 7th, 1969, after he graduated from Navy flight school. Julie and Marshall Wilharm were stationed in Rota and Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain. The Navy next sent Marshall to the Naval Research Lab, which is what brought them to Maryland. Julie and Marshall first settled in Fort Washington, where they were very involved with the Presbyterian church, and Julie served as Deacon for a time.

Julie was tri-lingual, being conversational in French and Spanish. She was a remarkably accomplished woman: a talented pianist and avid tennis-player, skilled at sewing and crafts; she was an excellent skier and enjoyed scuba-diving/ snorkeling and all kinds of world travel. Julie was a gracious host and a fantastic cook, often welcoming numerous friends to elegant get-togethers, and far-flung family members for week-long stays; she and Marshall were AFS host parents. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree, Julie earned an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Ed at Anne Arundel Community College and a Typing Cert at Fleet Secretarial School. Even though she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her ‘20s, Julie chose to become a mother anyway, and fully devoted herself to being a loving and involved parent. Julie and Marshall welcomed their first daughter Christina Marie in 1977, and later Natalie Anne in 1980, by which time they had moved to Annapolis. Julie worked at Chesapeake Montessori School while her daughters were students there, and later volunteered as a chaperone for their public school field trips, even when she had to lean on a cane.

As the MS robbed her of her more active pursuits, Julie adapted: installing a ping-pong table in her basement when tennis was no longer possible, and enjoyed family board-game nights of Scrabble, Boggle, Yatzee and Monopoly. An animal-lover, Julie loved having pet dogs as a girl and as a young mother; later she made sure her daughters could enjoy having pets that required less active care: parakeets and rabbits and gerbils. As a single mother, Julie continued to make gourmet family meals and was famous in the kitchen long after she was unable to stand unassisted: when rumor got around that Julie was making spaghetti, her daughters’ friends were always glad for an invitation to stay to dinner. Julie always loved to read and listen to music, and took up high-speed scooter-driving in her ‘50s.

Julie is predeceased by her parents, who are both buried in The Presidio in San Francisco.

She is survived by her daughters Christina Marie Wilharm and Natalie Anne Pugh as well as their husbands Brian Alan Lewandowski and Jeff Lee Pugh, and her grand-daughter Julie Anne Lightner (affectionately distinguished as Julie Junior during the many happy times spent with her grandmother who adored her).

A Memorial Service for Julie will be held on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 2:30 pm in The First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis: 171 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Please arrive by 2:00 pm to avoid traffic. Following the Memorial Service there will be a Catered Reception in the John M. Taylor Funeral Home’s Reception Room until 5:30 pm - 147 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Attendees may park in the Taylor Funeral Home’s parking lot for the duration.

In lieu of flowers, you may give to the First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis in Julie’s memory:

https://secure.myvanco.com/L-YRHD/campaign/C-ZF1P

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared on our website for the Wilharm family.