Julia K. Lippert
Julia was born June 5, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Rev. Rexford Charles Stilson Holmes, was an Episcopalian minister and her mother, Mabel Foster Drury, was a math teacher. Her family was from northern NY State and they lived on Long Island until the beginning of WWII. While her father served overseas in the U.S. Army, she lived with her mother’s parents in Gouverneur, NY. She spent her hours biking, swimming, fishing, and playing games with her younger sister Mary.
After the war, her family settled in Saginaw, Michigan. She graduated from Arthur Hill High School in 1948. Education was paramount to Julia and she went on to receive her BA of Fine Arts from Wells College in 1952. After college she traveled to Alaska, with her grandmother’s wedding dress tucked under her arm. There she married Arthur Tom Lippert Jr. on October 17, 1953. Together they had 3 daughters, Susan Eleanor, Sarah Katherine, and Mary Abigail. They raised them in Saginaw. Julia went on to finish her MA of Education from the University of Michigan in 1979. Their marriage ended in 1984 and a short time later Julia made the trek westward to Springville, UT. Once there, she completed a second MA of Art History at Brigham Young University. She worked for many years as the museum registrar at the BYU Museum of Art.
Julia was always a woman of faith. Raised in the Episcopal Church, she had a love for God and respect and love for all living things. She received the missionaries’ invitation to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1961. Her faith in the gospel was central to her beliefs and shaped the way she lived her life.
With her heart always filled with a desire to serve others, she found many places to share her talents. She volunteered with the Girl Scouts, the Red Cross, and read with children in the schools and libraries. She served diligently in her church callings, including as Relief Society President and many positions in the Primary. Her favorite calling was the waterfront director at Girls Camp. Driven by a desire to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, Julia served two church missions. The first in the Canada Toronto Mission from 1984-1985. The second in the Taiwan Chang Dong Mission from 1999-2000. She continued her world travels by teaching in Nanjing China through the BYU Kennedy Program from 2000-2002. Julia also served as a temple worker in the Provo temple. She had a deep love for the temple and would regularly attend services.
Julia had a great love for her daughters and grandchildren. In her desire to be close to them, she decided to spend time living with each of them. In 2005 she moved to Lame Deer, Montana, with Abbey. She would enjoy giving a treat to the horses and puppies who would greet her, and the sounds of the creek running behind her home. In the harsh winters she would go to be with Sue in California, where she would relish the blooming flowers. In the spring and fall she would often be found with Sarah in Utah. She treasured her time up the canyon, especially as the fall leaves showed their majestic colors.
Her last years were spent living with Sarah in Utah. She filled her time by doing family history and indexing. She enjoyed visiting teaching and writing to the missionaries. Julia was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Julia always looked forward to attending BYU Education Week and never stopped learning. She spent many hours with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren reading books, doing puzzles, and telling stories. Julia was an avid reader, and her grandkids often raided her library for a classic that she was happy to provide. She loved sewing and knitting baby booties for her great-grandchildren.
Julia cultivated magnificent gardens, both on the page and in the world. She taught faith, by knowing that bulbs planted in the fall would bring flowers in the spring. A talented artist, Julia painted handmade watercolor cards for her loved ones, sharing a bright splash of color that reflected her love of the quiet, simple joys of living things and quiet spaces.
Julia was humble and devoted, cheerful, curious, and as near an angel as one can become on Earth. To feel her love was to feel the love of our Creator. We are certain that as she goes unto the Lord, he will tell her, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Julia left this Earth on March 13, 2021, cheerfully making jokes and talking about animals and gardens until she passed peacefully surrounded by those who loved her most. The legacy of this incredible woman will live on in her daughters, Susan Huyck, Sarah Smith, and Abigail Sonntag, their spouses, her sister Mary, and Julia’s 17 grandchildren, 31 (soon to be 34) great-grandchildren, as well as in every heart she has ever touched.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 11:00 am. Please click the following link and then click on Sacrament Meeting to attend.