Julie Ludlum

Thank you for visiting Julie Ludlum's online guestbook. Please take a moment to write your thoughts about my mom. Tell me how you knew her and what memories you have of her. It will help me, and other members of our family capture her essence. She was a wonderful person—very loving, very smart, very thoughtful and generous. She was the best mom, grandma and great-grandma in the whole world. She loved and nurtured us. We were her treasure. No words can begin to explain how much we will miss her presence in our lives. She was our rock. Julie was born on September 4, 1925. I have to smile when I remember how many times she had to repeat her name and date of birth every time the nurse took her vitals at the hospital. During her six weeks in the hospital and rehab we had a chance to recapture her memories of growing up in Los Angeles—one of twelve children in the Garcia family. She always believed her life would have been different if she would have had the resources to go to college. She was a hard worker, though, and she was ambitious. She worked for Encyclopedia Americana in Beverly Hills and rose to the position of executive secretary to the president of the company. She was mighty and brave and battled poverty as a single mom raising me. She was and always will be my hero and my best friend. She married my step-dad in 1958 and we made a succession of moves from the Los Angeles area to Anaheim. She worked at a number of elementary and junior high schools at the principal's secretary. She was a very capable manager. Even when my step-dad bought a peach orchard in Paradise, California, she dove right in and became a peach farmer. Anything she set her mind to, she did with a combination of tenacity and grace. She was very optimistic in life—always looking for the positive side of any setback and challenge. Before she moved to Colorado, she was employed by the University of California at Davis. After she moved to Colorado in 1993, she worked for the Fort Collins Senior Center. That's where she met Luke Thornton, and for the next 14 years until his death in 2011, they traveled extensively and shared a very special love. Her hobby was baking and she lovingly shared her famous muffins and banana breads with her friends and family. Every service or kindness extended to her was followed up by a "sweet reward." We loved having her close by. In fact, she always commented on how she loved having our three generations only one mile apart. Eventually, she moved right across the street and was so happy to be so close. We enjoyed our regular breakfast at IHOP on Tuesdays. I was able to slip over and enjoy a cup of coffee. She always had coffee ready. Life was about as good as it gets. She loved living in Fort Collins. She loved the mountains, the trees, the blue sky and Old Town. She loved the people of Fort Collins and thought of them as incredibly kind. Then, just after Thanksgiving her health began to decline. She was in and out of the hospital and rehab for about 8 weeks. I treasure the time we had to visit while she was recuperating. She always believed she would get better and was frustrated when she didn't. I never believed we would lose her. We both believed she would come home. I told her she would probably live into her 90's. But, she didn't. And, there is a gaping hole in our hearts where she used to be, bigger than life. So, please share your memories with us. It is through memories that we live on in the hearts of our friends and family. We're so glad you had the chance to know and love Julie. A memorial service will be held on Monday, February 25, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 1005 Stover St, followed by a brief graveside service at Grandview Cemetery. A reception will follow at Julie's home. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Larimer Humane Society in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524.