It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my sister Julie Marie Phillips on December 22, 2023 at the age of 65.
Despite her many struggles with mental health and her battle with cancer Julie never lost her zany sense of humour nor did she ever fail to express her love of family and close friends. I am proud of Julie’s many accomplishments. Well into her thirties, Julie returned to university to earn her master’s degree in teaching at Carleton University where she completed a two-year degree in just one year and earned the distinction of magna cum laude along with her master’s degree. This is just one example of Julie’s incredible tenacity.
After earning her degree, Julie devoted several years to teaching elementary school in the Laurentians. During this time, despite her dedicated efforts, Julie was never satisfied with the level of education she was able to deliver with the tools she was given and the stress of this forced her to abandon the teaching profession much sooner that she would have preferred. Julie spent many happy years at her house in Val David where she enjoyed hosting “happy hours” with her close friends and family, often on the deck of her swimming pool of which she was so very proud. Julie loved to reminisce and would send her listeners into fits of laughter with tales of her sometimes slightly embellished stories from our childhood.
Julie also devoted many years to supporting her mother and father, Bob and Sally in their home in Val David. Julie took many trips with Sally to visit friends and family and I’ll never forget the ambitious road trip she made with our mother from Val David to Calgary, with a particularly memorable stop in my mother’s childhood hometown of Rouleau, Saskatchewan, better known as “Dog River” of Corner Gas fame. I will miss my sister and her infectious sense of humour, but I will carry fond memories of her forever.
Julie was pre-deceased by her parents Bob and Sally Phillips, her brother Joel Phillips and her sister-in-law Martina Phillips (Paul). She leaves behind her brothers Paul and Lincoln, her nieces Sarah (Sylvain Frechette), Emma and Michelle as well as her nephews Robert, Sean and Evan.
I want to express my extreme gratitude to the amazing team of doctors, nurses and social workers at Hôpital Laurentien in Sainte Agathe who gave Julie such incredible support over the years. Anyone questioning the quality of the healthcare system in this country, and in the province of Quebec, need look no further than this exemplary institution and the people who work there to see an unequalled delivery of healthcare.
Paul Phillips