Julia Clark

Born in Knoxville, TN on February 7, 1954 Departed on January 19, 2020 and resided in Knoxville, TN Gathering of Family & Friends: Hendersonville First Baptist ChurchSunday February 23, 2020 1:00pm to 3:00pmA Celebration of Life: Hendersonville First Baptist ChurchSunday February 23, 2020 3:00pm to 4:00pmA Celebration of Life: Episcopal Church of the AscensionSaturday February 29, 2020 1:00pm to 2:00pmInterment: Mt. Olivet CemeterySunday March 1, 2020 3:00pm to 4:00pm

Julia Lee (Julie) Clark passed away peacefully in her sleep on Jan. 19, 2020, in Knoxville, TN, of complications from Early Onset Alzheimer's. She was 65. Julie was preceded in death by her parents, Sheffield Clark, III, and JoAnne Cooley Clark, by her brother Sheffield Clark, IV, by her paternal aunt Jane Clark Mills, and by both sets of grandparents, Mrs. & Mrs. Sheffield Clark, Jr., and Mr. & Mrs Fred Cooley. She is survived by her sister Melissa Clark Gay (Dee), nephew Nathan Sheffield Gay; maternal aunts Micki Cooley Fox and Melissa Cooley Gill Ownby, paternal aunt Anna Lou Clark Rice Platt; cousins Jane Mills Rodgers, Eve Mills, Anna Lou Rice Newcomb, Grace Rice, Mike Tweed, Kathy Tweed Brewer, Angela Tweed, and Andy Gill; "Li'l Cousins" Elizabeth Eve Hartzog, Lee Rodgers, Beth Blankenship, Jennie Newcomb, and John Newcomb; step-sister Danette Cook Godwin and step-brother Damon Cook; and half sister Brenda Gillott.

Julie spent most of her life in Tennessee, growing up in Knoxville and moving to Nashville after college, where she lived until she moved back to Knoxville to an assisted living facility in late 2016. Julie spent her adult life in the insurance industry, first at Northwestern Mutual Life at The Cochran Agency and then at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee, where she was a sales representative for 27 years, until she retired in 2012. Julie loved life and had a zeal for living it to the fullest. She loved all forms of music, but rock & roll was her favorite! She would "tell it like it Is" with almost no filter and had a mischievous, fun sense of humor! But she was also one of the most generous people you'd ever meet. She would truly give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.

Julie loved her family with great passion and depth, and she loved her friends that same way. With few exceptions, if you were Julie's friend, you were her friend for life! The "Wild Women of Bearden" were Julie's life-long friends and were like sisters to her: Patti Powers Levenson, Jan Christopher Corbitt, Mary Rice Wright, Janice Sailors Stamps, Terrye Broome Guthe, Joni Baker Maples, Jan Roesner, and the late Mary Roberts Pilkington, with later additions to the group of Rosemary Hudson Overton, Ellen Lesher Bundy, and Zayn Mayes Bowling. Her life would not have been complete without her always-faithful dogs Rosie and Maize or these friends: Becky Bradley Lillard, Catherine Haury Holton, Susan White, Rhonda Pfeiffer Tully, Heather Phillips Aslinger, Linda Lane Overton, Marilyn May, Kathie Parks, Clark Crawford, Rick Dover, Jimbo Hash, Rusty Rust, Rebecca Manis, Marty Austin, Yvonne McGarr, and Ginger Hall. Special thanks to all the wonderful and caring administrative staff, nurses, and caregivers at Northshore Heights Senior Living Center and to her two sweet friends and sitters, Kelly Mays and Tammie Bond. To all of these, we say, "Thank you."

Visitation will be held in the chapel of First Baptist Church, 106 Bluegrass Commons Blvd, Hendersonville, TN, on Sunday, February 23, from 1-3 PM with the memorial service immediately following, Dr. Bruce Chesser and Rev. Jeff Lake presiding. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Alzheimer's Tennessee, 5801 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 or online at alztennessee.org.