A Life Well Lived

Jeff & Ben returned from PA very early Sat a.m. (4am). Their plane was delayed in Detroit and Denver due to tornadoes and other storms. But, they made it home safe & sound & are glad to be back.

Their time in PA was good for all, however. The community really rallied behind them (as they have for the last 6 years of Julie's cancer). I found it inspiring how people reacted and how they showed their care. So many gave of themselves - not just time and money, but things that were uniquely from them. The dance/music studio where Julie's kids had taken lessons, have promised that both kids may attend for free as long as they're interested and in school. The local Bed & Breakfast donated rooms to any of the Artley family that needed them for the memorial. The local grocery store gave $100's in dollars in coupons to her husband and kids, and also loaded Jeff & Ben up w/ food for their return trip (and the owner even remembered all Jeff's favorites from when he worked there in h.s.!) The funeral home made up beautiful, laminated copies of the obit, with pictures and a poem for each of the family members. And, of course, there were many generous monetary gifts for the family to assist with funeral expenses, to go towards the children's future needs, etc.

For the memorial itself, 100's of people showed up. Every extension office, in every county of the state, sent a representative (50 of them total). The University sent representatives, have promised to name a seed after Julie (I didn't even know they still did that! So, perhaps someday you'll plant a "Julie carrot" or some such thing!) Jeff said they started greeting people at 5:30 (memorial was supposed to start at 6:30) and at 7:30 they were still greeting and had to be pulled away so it could star, and there were still 50 people in line! Nearly every family member, no matter how far away, made it a point to be there.

The impact that Julie had on her family, community, church and the general public at large through her work, was obviously immense - and inspiring to see the depth of that impact. She will be sorely missed, but we rejoice in the knowledge of our reunion with her in heaven some day.

We love you Julie - Enjoy your new perfect body, free of pain and limitations.