Julie Megaw

Julie Megaw Castellanos died at her home in Chandler, Arizona on Thursday May 16th after more than a year of battling colon cancer. She was 81 years old and was surrounded by family at the time of her passing.

Julie was the mother of six, grandmother to 17, sister to 5, and cousin, it seemed, to nearly everyone from Chihuahua, Chihuahua Mexico. She was also a fast friend to anyone who came into her home, often building lifelong friendships with tradespeople who showed up under the impression that they were there just for a service call.

Her life began like a movie, descending from some of the great families of Mexico: the Terrazas, the Creels, the Cuiltys and the Castellanos’. These families produced cattle magnates, bank owners, vice presidents, governors, railroad builders, generals, diplomats, university founders, judges, priests, missionaries and Manhattan project scientists. Despite their worldly success, most of those who came before Julie were wise enough to put God first in their lives. They were the salt of the earth. On the day her mother, Julietta, found out she was pregnant with Julie, her father, Luis, was simultaneously diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma at just 29 years old. Miraculously he survived 13 years, having 6 children while enduring non-stop cancer treatment and surgeries that ultimately wiped out the family fortune. This took them from a lavish existence of mansions, servants and parties in Mexico to a life of hardship in Watts, Los Angeles and without a father. Julie, being the oldest of 6, took over the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning and looking after her siblings while her mother worked. This was the beginning of her life of service and the start of her love affair with frugality and offering advice.

She gave lots of advice, sometimes it was solicited and other times it wasn’t but to her credit there were always nuggets of wisdom contained within it. Some of her more memorable sayings included: the best opportunities in life come at the worst possible times, the best gift you can give your child is a sibling, your next 4 years will determine the following 40, but there were many more. The truth in her counsel is clearer now that we’re older and it’s being passed on to our children.

Julie was a larger-than-life story teller and we all heard her stories too many times to count. In some of our more impatient moments we’d remind her that we’d heard this particular story, many times, but that would never stop her. A wise friend once said that no matter what circumstance you find yourself in this life, if you come out of it in one piece and with a good story it was worth it. This thought captures the arc of Julie’s life which was punctuated with funny, tragic and touching tales. She would often tell us about her eccentric Aunt Lupita who nearly died in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake because she refused to come out of her room before making herself presentable. Lupita lived in a hotel for 27 years spending her fortune on beautiful gifts for loved ones and beautiful clothes for herself. She had an on-going feud with a former mistress of Mussolini and refused honorary United States citizenship because it was not the same kind that Ghandi had received. Julie told us numerous stories about her parents, whom she considered saints. When she was a young girl, her father invited her to go on a concert date because they shared a love for classical music. They stopped for ice cream on the way and Julie, being a curious child, asked him, “Daddy, what’s the matter with your nose?” “Mi hija I have cancer,” he responded. At that point he was wearing a prosthetic nose due to the damage done to his face from the melanoma. One beloved story was when she asked her then four-year-old son how much he loved her and was surprised when he responded, “till the end of numbers.” She said that it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her.

Julie was a lifelong promoter and ardent defender of Mexico, “Viva México!” she would shout anytime it was brought up. She would come to holiday gatherings with newspaper clippings that proved that nearly every good thing in this world came from her homeland. On Thanksgiving, for example, she would explain to anyone who would listen how turkey, corn, green beans, pumpkin and even the first New World thanksgiving were all Mexican in origin to the astonishment of her husband’s family. These stoic and good-natured descendants of Ohio farmers had no idea what they had gotten themselves into when their son Leslie married her.

Julie always opened her home to her family, friends and neighbors. She loved decorating and buying fine furniture (at a bargain) to make her house beautiful. She seemed to have a photographic memory for every issue of Architectural Digest going back twenty years. During her life she took on major renovation projects with gusto and determination. For more than thirty years she hosted an open house on Christmas Eve which sometimes exceeded one hundred guests. Her party was legendary and it became part of Christmas traditions of the loved ones who came each year. Today this tradition lives on through her children more than forty years after it began.

Julie was a devout Catholic and enjoyed attending daily Mass the latter part of her life. When she became too weak to leave her home, she would watch the Mass on EWTN. As children we did not get out of the house mornings without her making the sign of the cross over each of us. She prayed for her children and grandchildren continually.

Julie left her children many gifts. To some, her love of classical music. To others, wisdom with money. To others, a love of homes and making them beautiful. She taught most of us how to tell a good story. She also made us understand what kind of family we came from and what we owed to those who came before us, not that we’ve always lived up to it. To all of her children she passed on her faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ, which is the most important job of any parent. Now she rests from her labors.

A memorial service for Julie Megaw Castellanos will be held on Thursday, July 11th, at 10:30 am at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, 5150 N Valley View Rd, Tucson, AZ 85718. A reception will follow at the church.

Goodbye Julie, we will miss you, and we love you till the end of numbers.