Julia Penick

Julia "Julie" Lake Penick died on January 7, 2020, at age 77, after bravely battling Alzheimer's disease for 13 years. She was born on December 20, 1942, in Augusta, Georgia. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, William S. Penick; her three children, Katherine P. Hayes of Chapel Hill, NC, Virginia P. Inmon (John) of Denver, CO, and William S. Penick, Jr. (Sienna) of Los Angeles, CA; her brother, James H. Lake, Jr. (Angela) of Shreveport, LA; and seven grandchildren, Emma Marie Hayes, Ethan Sawyer Hayes, Aubrey James Inmon, Olivia St. Clair Inmon, Lucia Clothilde Penick, Pilar Julia Penick, and Isabel Marie Penick. She was predeceased by her parents, James H. Lake and Daisy M. Lake; and her brother, Augustus "Bau" B. Lake.

Julie was a beloved teacher of pre-K students at the Jewish Community Center School for some 25 years. She adored the "little people" around 4-5 years old that she encountered not only at the JCC but anywhere in the world and could "talk" to them in a way that was remarkable. A wonderful storyteller, Julie entertained her own children and their friends for years with numerous stories she made up on the spot. As a volunteer with the Trinity Educational Enrichment Program (TEEP), she introduced hundreds of inner-city children to the woods and rivers around Covington by hosting overnights and picnics several weekends each summer for 31 years. Her volunteer work for TEEP also included three years of teaching kindergarten-age children during the summer program. While volunteering, teaching, and raising her own children, Julie took classes towards her degree and graduated cum laude from Tulane University in 1996 at age 54.

An outdoor enthusiast, Julie canoed, camped, backpacked, skied, and climbed mountains in the US, Canada, and Europe, including 16 of the "fourteeners" in Colorado. She may be the only unarmed person to actually chase a wild bear in the woods, after it ate her chocolate pudding and then took our only food pack on a canoeing trip in Canada. Never one to avoid a challenge, Julie participated in simulated skydiving four years after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She was also an avid runner who ran the Crescent City Classic several times. She loved poetry (Robert Frost), rock-and-roll (Fats Domino, whom she met), Butterfingers, Oreo cookies, and any kind of ice cream. With a big heart and great sense of humor (especially on April Fools' Day), Julie had a wide circle of friends in New Orleans and Williamstown, MA. And most important of all, she was a truly wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother who will be sorely missed.

Julie's family wishes to thank the following persons for all of their help with her Alzheimer's disease: Sherrise Lewis, her devoted sitter for 9 years; Kendra Ackerman; Zenetta Smith; Christine Green; all of the other nurses on the third floor of St. Anna's at Lambeth House; Dr. Joshua Lowentritt; Dr. Jay St. John; and Dr. Howard Russell.

Burial at Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery will be private. There will be a celebration of Julie's remarkable life on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at Lambeth House, with visitation between 2:00 and 3:00, stories from family and friends at 3:00, and general visiting after that.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association, the Bright Focus Foundation (Alzheimer's research) (800-437-2434), or the Lambeth House Foundation.