Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for October 21, 2007 OBITUARY - JULIE A. NEWELL

Julie Ann Marie (Jones) Newell

Julie A. Newell of Cairo, Illinois, passed away Friday evening, October 19, 2007, at home following a long series of illnesses.

Julie was born in Cairo on August 17, 1950, the third of ten children, to the late Lewis Jones and Eloise (Blocker) Jones. Julie attended Cairo Public Schools, graduating from Cairo High School in 1968.

Julie worked 37 years for the Cairo Public Schools as a secretary/bookkeeper - 26 years at Cairo High School, 6 years at Emerson Elementary, and 5 years at the District Administrative Office. During her employment with the Cairo Public Schools, Julie was a union activist, serving as the founding president of the Cairo Association of Educational Support Professionals. In addition to her union activities on the local level, Julie served on a variety of committees for the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association.

In November, 2000, Julie made history by becoming the first African-American to be elected to the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. Following that achievement, Julie was elected and re-elected to the Board of Directors of the Illinois Education Association, serving two terms, declining a third term when she opted for early retirement in June 2006.

In addition to her parents, Julie was preceded in death by a daughter, Christie Ann, and her oldest brother, David. Julie is survived by her husband, Ron. Also surviving her are four brothers – John of Cairo, Peter of Washington, DC, Fred (and wife Connie) of Mound City, and Reuben of Hawaii; four sisters – Sarah of Alameda, CA, Marilyn (Mrs. John McGhee) of Atlanta, GA, Rachel of Washington, DC, and Rebecca (Mrs. Chris Ulrich) of Alameda, CA; two nephews - Derek Jones of Cape Girardeau, MO and James Stewart-Jones of Bend, OR; a niece, Kelly Jones of Mound City; and one grandniece, Talia Jones of Mound City.

Both the visitation and funeral service for Julie A. Newell will be held at the Barkett Funeral Home, 325-8th Street, Cairo, IL. The visitation will be on Tuesday, October 23rd, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the funeral will be on Wednesday, October 24th at 10:00 a.m. Lorenzo Nelson and James Gibson will officiate. Interment will follow at Green Lawn Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation in Julie’s name may be made to the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., P.O. Box 631047, Baltimore, MD, 21263-1047.