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"Julia (Julie) Joan Jackson was born in the little town of Britton, South Dakota, on December 17th, 1936, the only person in her family whose birth took place in a hospital. Hospitals, even doctors, were indeed uncommon luxuries for the families of small farming communities in the Depression-era Midwest, and Julie learned this firsthand as she lived the first 18 years of her life in the tiny North Dakota hamlet of Cogswell, 20 miles north of the hospital in which she was born, the youngest of six siblings. Despite the poverty in which she grew up, the first ten years in a house with no indoor plumbing, young Julie thrived in Cogswell thanks to the love and nurturing of her extraordinary mother and father, Julia and Burton Oxley, and the guidance and mentoring of her older siblings Betty, Dan, Harry, and Margie. Julie excelled in school, earning valedictorian honors in her graduating class of ten students. She played sports, took part in numerous clubs, and shined especially in the sciences. While Julie loved the close-knit community of Cogswell that molded her in this first stage of her life, she hungered for greater opportunity that could only be found in the wider world, and thus she embarked on what would become a quietly remarkable life. Sometime after high school, and the death of her father in 1954, Julie left Cogswell to continue her education at Wisconsin State College at Stevens Point. After earning certification from a technical school, Julie worked in a laboratory while pursuing a college degree. She eventually earned a B.S. degree in 1962, majoring in biology and chemistry. During this stage of her life, Julie matured into an independent, self-confident and career-minded young woman, unusual for this period in small-town America, and she unknowingly became an important role model for a number of nieces who would follow her example. Not bad for humble beginnings in tiny Cogswell!  Not long after her graduation from college, Julie found herself in Minot, North Dakota, where her life would take an exciting and deeply meaningful turn when she met a young, handsome, Air Force officer stationed there, an acquaintance of her brother Dan. Kelso Jackson was tall, blond, and self-assured, and the two hit it off immediately. After several months of courtship, Julie married this distinguished man in 1963, and they began a 51-year marriage by criss-crossing the United States and Europe as they adopted the nomadic life of the Air Force family, taking up residence at numerous bases around the world. Julie became the perfect co-pilot, offering invaluable support and guidance to Kelso as they launched an exemplary life together based on their shared Christian Catholic faith. During these early years, Julie gave birth to four children: Kelso Jr., in 1964, Chris in 1966, Beth in 1968, and Steve in 1970. She was a loving and devoted mother. Because Kelso was deployed on various military missions, including an eight-month tour in Vietnam in 1967, Julie applied and further developed her remarkable fortitude and resilience as she faced long periods of raising her family in Kelsos absence, alone, many of those years stationed in a foreign land. This is where Julies character shined as she always ensured that her children grew up in a safe, stable, loving home, never knowing want during these often challenging times. Soon after Kelso returned from Vietnam, the young family moved to West Germany for four and a half years in the midst of the Cold War, then back to the States in 1974 where Kelso finished his Air Force career in Las Vegas, Nevada. Following the Air Force years, the Jacksons settled down in Issaquah, Washington, in 1976, where Julie and Kelso would live the remainder of their lives. Julie soon re-entered the workforce and became a beloved educational assistant at nearby Sunny Hills Elementary. During her tenure at the school in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Julie learned the name of every young student there and inspired both respect and affection, as the situation required. For years afterwards these children, grown into adults, would approach Julie on the street, in stores, in movie theaters, in church, and elsewhere, to catch her up on their lives since Sunny Hills. Ten years later, Kelso formed his own company in telecommunications, and Julie joined him, becoming an indispensable and skilled employee celebrated for her work ethic, commitment, and integrity. She next went into business for several years with her daughter-in-law, Lee Ann, making childrens clothes in the 1990s. Later, Julie finished her career working alongside Kelso, first at the Boeing Company and then at Verizon. They finally retired together in 2003.  In retirement, Julie continued to thrive. She accompanied Kelso on numerous cross-country road trips visiting friends and relatives, and they were regulars at family and Air Force reunions. They became grandparents when their son Kelso Jr. and his wife Lee Ann gave them three precious grandsonsMatthew, Anthony, and Nicholas. Like her mother before her, Julie transformed into the beloved &quot;Gram&quot; to these three as she dedicated herself passionately to her new role as matriarch to her expanding family. In these years, Julies life became an example to all those around her. She loved with devotion; she was absolutely selfless in her service to family and community; her humble dignity was respected by all; her sharp mind and deep intelligence combined with a calm, quiet demeanor made her a valued listener; her strength of character and moral compass kept her family on the correct course; her stoical nature and innate toughness made her a beacon to all in times of trouble. Julie lived a life of true Christian service to her family and community. Not once did she ever put her own needs or wants before those of others; never did she seek notoriety or congratulations; not once did she ever complain if her road was bumpy; never did she lose sight of what was most importanther family and her faithand she committed her life to both. The cornerstone of her family, selflessly and freely giving of herself with no desire for recompense or reward, Julie became a heroine to all who grew to know her well. Sadly, Julie was stricken by a rare and incurable neurological disorder called &quot;cortical-basal degeneration&quot; around 2004. Progressively over the last 16 years of her life, this disease cruelly deprived her of virtually all of her physical function: first her ability to speak was impacted, then her right hand and leg, and eventually she became wheelchair bound. Tragically, her husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, which would take his life in 2014. Despite Kelsos heroic mission to care for Julie in these difficult years, it became necessary for Julie to go to live at Providence Marianwood nursing home just prior to Kelsos untimely death. Thankfully, the disease did not take Julies memory and she was fully engaged in her life to the end. During the five and a half years of her life in the nursing home, Julie was supported by the tireless efforts of her four children, receiving visits five to six days each week. Julies children were inspired by her own example of humble, selfless commitment to them, and others, throughout her life. Julie, predictably, became a favorite at the nursing home, admired and adored by the many nurses and aides who provided her excellent care in these final years. Even in the end, Julie continued, with her indomitable spirit and steadfast will to live, to inspire others as she survived years longer than expected, courageously fighting this incurable disease. After a valiant 16-year battle, Julie finally succumbed to natural causes on April 5th, 2020. She was blessed with visits by all her children, her grandchildren, and their significant others on that final day, and she passed quietly and peacefully while son Kelso held her hand and talked to her. She was 83 years old. While we are heartbroken by her loss, we are also buoyed by the sure knowledge that Julie is enjoying the just reward of an eternity in Heaven, freed from the pain and suffering of her final years. She is now with her beloved husband Kelso, perhaps on yet another road trip together making new discoveries and bringing happiness to those who preceded her in death: Julies mother Julia and father Burton Oxley; her brothers Michael, Dan, and Harry; her sister Margie; and friends and aunts and uncles too numerous to name here. Julie is survived by her son Kelso Jr. and his wife Lee Ann; their children Matthew and his partner Bryan; Anthony and his wife Kyla; and Nicholas and his girlfriend Rachel; her son Chris; her daughter Beth and her husband Cory Gillespie; her youngest son Steve and his girlfriend Megan; and her deeply devoted 99-year-old sister Betty Hart. They will carry on the legacy of an extraordinary woman who indeed lived a quietly remarkable life, in hopes of joining her once again in the glorious next life. Memorial service arrangements will be arranged and announced at a later time when gathering restrictions are relaxed."
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