Julie Newell

CAIRO, Ill. -- Julie Ann Marie (Jones) Newell of Cairo passed away Friday Oct. 19, 2007 at her home following a long series of illnesses.

Julie was born in Cairo on Aug. 17, 1950, the third of 10 children, to the late Lewis and Eloise (Blocker) Jones. Julie attended Cairo Public Schools, graduating from Cairo High School in 1968.

Julie worked for 37 years for the Cairo Public Schools as a secretary and bookkeeper -- 26 years at Cairo High School, six years at Emerson Elementary and five years at the District Administrative Office. During her employment with Cairo Public Schools, Julie was a union activist, serving as the founding president of the Cairo Association of Educational 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 1999, 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 and declining a third term when she opted for early retirement in June 2006.

She is survived by her husband, Ron. Also surviving her are four brothers, John of Cairo, Peter of Washington, D.C., Fred (and wife Connie) of Mound City, Mo., and Reuben of Hawaii; four sisters, Sarah of Alameda, Calif., Marilyn (Mrs. John McGhee) of Atlanta, Rachel of Washington, D.C., and Rebecca (Mrs. Chris Ulrich) of Alameda, Calif.; two nephews, Derek Jones of Cape Girardeau and James Stewart-Jones of Bend, Ore.; a niece, Kelly Jones of Mound City; and a grandniece, Talia Jones of Mound City.

In addition to her parents, Julie was preceded in death by a daughter, Christie Ann; and her oldest brother, David.

Both the visitation and funeral service for Julie A. Newell will be held at the Barkett Funeral Home, 325 8th Street, Cairo. The visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, and the funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, with the Revs. Lorenzo Nelson and James Gibson officiating. Interment will be 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.