Julie Ann Rybicki

Life is about living. Many people go through life simply being alive, without ever experiencing its fullness and joy. Julie Ann Rybicki was a woman full of life who enjoyed her every breath. Through work and play, hardship and illness, Julie never lost sight of the things that truly matter. Her sincere enthusiasm for an honest approach to life were contagious. Her life was like a flame of optimism for all who knew her. The 1960s marked a shift from the idyllic innocence of the previous decade into a slow burn of social unrest. On the eastern shores of Lake Michigan in the metropolis of Muskegon, Michigan, Charles and Angie (Bernardini) Moulds were not focusing on the unrest in the world, but rather on the newest blessing in their lives. Already the proud parents of daughter, Brenda, on December 28, 1962, the couple welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Julie Ann. The girls were later joined by their brother, Tony, and little sister, Sue, who rounded out the Moulds family. Along with her siblings, Julie was raised in a loving home, where her mother was an at-home mom while her father earned a living at Howmet Corp. As a family, they loved to travel around and go camping in places like Pioneer Park in Muskegon and Yellowstone National Park; they also enjoyed sightseeing in California, Washington and at Mount Everest. Julie found her niche in life at a pretty young age. She loved to read and had a wonderful collection of Wizard of Oz books, though her passion was writing poetry; her first poem was entitled Myrtle the Turtle, which she wrote in second grade. With such a wonderful imagination, Julie could picture herself flying and would practice doing so by jumping off tall objects onto cushy pillows. She also enjoyed being a Brownie and Girl Scout. When it came to school, Julie didnt just do things, she did them to perfection. She was an excellent student who excelled in all her studies and volunteered to help others. She was also in the Honor Society. Aside from her academics, Julie also played flute and sat first chair, sang in the choir and was voted most musical of her high school class. And she also ran track, often beating her sister Brenda, though she would apologize while passing her in a race. After graduating from North Muskegon High School in 1981, Julie went on to attend Hope College, where she graduated cum laude with a BA in English in 1985. She then received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing -also with honors- from Western Michigan University in 1991. During her college years, Julie found great inspiration and encouragement from two of her Professors, Jack Riddle and Nancy Nicodemus. In addition to her studies, Julie also worked at Poohs Corner Childrens Bookstore since 1985. She loved and devoted herself to this store for 23 years, before retiring in 2008. In the fall of 1987, a wonderful thing happened to Julie: she met the love of her life, John Rybicki, in a poetry writing class. John admitted it was love at first sight for him, but Julie, on the other hand, was a little picky about the guys she liked and reserved her feelings at least until after the first date. The two went dancing at Woods Lake for their first outing, and after a week together, Julie knew that John was a keeper. Julie and John dated for 6 years and lived together for 3 of those years. They came up with cute little nicknames for each other Julie called John Dude and he called her Dame, and Julie would serenade John from the bathtub with love songs. In 1992, their relationship was tested when Julie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She received her first bone marrow transplant in 1994. But as fate would have it, Julie and John only drew closer to each other and decided to make their union legal. On June 25, 1994, the couple was happily married at Dave Marletts farm. The only thing that made Julie happier was that she had her full head of hair for her special day. After saying I do, the couple enjoyed spending their time devoted to each other and to their writing. Julie was also very close to her many nieces and nephews, and enjoyed her time with them. Julie was raised in the Catholic faith and was a devout member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. Aside from John, Julies passion was found in her books. Over the years, she collected, gave and received many childrens books. Shed shop year round for Christmas gifts for her family and friends, and naturally books were one of her special gifts she liked to give after adding a loving dedication to it. Her creative writing blossomed over the years and in 1998, her book of poems entitled The Woman with the Cubed Head was published. She also went on to write an Operetta called Baba Yaga The Russian Witch, which was performed at the Western Michigan University. In addition to her classic collection of books, Julie also loved collecting and wearing vintage clothes and jewelry. In 1999, Julie and John bought their first home at 7546 South Crooked Lake in Delton. Julie was so excited about their new home that she ran around it with her arms outstretched, like she was going to fly. Their beloved dogs, Boo and Sparky, enjoyed the room to run around their new home in the country. The only thing more the couple could ask for was a child and in the summer of 2003, they were blessed with Martel, a 13 year old boy who became their beloved son and the light of Julies life. He and John were her beacons of inspiration and in them she found the strength she needed to endure her illness from day to day. Even in her most difficult moments, Julie was always strong and never gave up hope. She amazed everyone with her strength and tenacity of spirit; and she was a fountain of optimism and wittiness even through her suffering. Even after 52 days in the bone marrow unit this winter and spring nothing could break her warrior spirit. Julie was a truly amazing woman who was always thinking of others before herself. She never asked, Why me? and was content to live in the moment, appreciating the family, friends and events that brought her life incredible joy. She will be deeply missed. Julie Ann Rybicki, age 45, died on Tuesday, April 8, 2008. She is survived by her husband, John Rybicki; 1 son, Martel; parents, Charles & Angie Moulds of North Muskegon; 1 brother, Tony (Sue) Moulds of Whitehall; 2 sisters: Brenda (Rick) Beerhorst of Grand Rapids & Sue (Michael) Love of Milan, MI; parents-in-law, Ben & Mary Rybicki of Detroit; several nieces & nephews. Services for Julie will be held on Saturday, April 12, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church with Fr. Antony Britto officiating. Interment will be at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Friends and relatives may visit with Julies family on Friday, April 11, from 2-4 & 6-9 p.m. with a Rosary at 7:00 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Julie Ann Rybicki Memorial Fund.