Julia D. Brodie
April 10, 2017Share using:
A memorial service for Julia Brodie, Ph.D., 87, of Granville will be held at 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, April 15, 2017 at the United Church of Granville, 115 W. Broadway, Granville with the Rev. Dwight Davidson officiating. A private graveside service will be held at Maple Grove Cemetery in Granville.
Dr. Brodie passed away Monday, April 10 at the Selma Markowitz Center of the Hospice of Central Ohio, drawing to a close a long life of caring for others, a love for animals, music, and adventure.
Julia was born May 12, 1929 in Cleveland to the late Alfred and Mary Colby, and grew up in Mansfield, Ohio where she attended Mansfield City Schools. At an early age she developed a love of music, quickly becoming an accomplished pianist. She was a fixture as accompanist at musical performances at Mansfield Senior High School, and was chosen to attend the National Music Camp at Interlaken, Michigan.
Following her high school graduation, Julia studied music at Northwestern University where she earned an award for achieving the highest grade point average of her freshman class. She ultimately earned a Bachelor’s of Music Degree from Syracuse University in 1951.
Julia was a fixture in Granville’s music community in the 1950’s and 1960’s as an active member of the Granville Music Club, teaching piano to the town’s youth, and serving as substitute organist at the First Baptist Church. But Julia wanted more out of life, and answered a calling to help others by returning to school and earning a Masters of Arts Degree in Psychology from Ohio State University. Following graduation, she began a long career as a sought-after psychotherapist in Licking and Knox Counties, and ultimately received a PhD in Psychology from The Union for Experimenting Colleges & Universities in 1982.
Julia’s career as a psychotherapist allowed her to touch the lives of hundreds of people who were experiencing some of the toughest times they would ever experience. She was proudest of her work with families who had tragically lost a child, with first responders at the Newark Fire Department, and with volunteers with Habitat for Humanity who were working with the impoverished in Africa.
Following retirement, Julia was inspired by stories told by Holocaust survivors to begin work on a book that documented the struggles of Holocaust victims, political prisoners and prisoners of war. Her book, Odysseys of Survival, was completed and published in 2015. This accomplishment was just one of many efforts by Julia to document and participate in the fight for civil rights for all; originally inspired when, as a child, she studied the struggles of African American opera singer Marian Anderson. A photograph of Julia meeting Miss Anderson was among her most prized possessions.
In addition to her parents, Julia was pre-deceased by the love of her life, William Brodie, who passed away in 2013; and by her brother John Colby of Mansfield. She is survived by her sons William Davison Ph.D. (Nancy Haegel) of Golden, Colorado; Timothy Davison (Sarah) of Granville; grandson Andrew (Rene) Davison of Wellington, Colorado; granddaughter Rachel Davison of Golden, Colorado, who followed in her grandmother’s footsteps by enrolling at Northwestern University; great granddaughter Coraline Davison of Wellington, Colorado; step sons Bruce (Amy) Brodie of Oregon, Ohio, Eden (Patricia) Brodie of Strongsville, Ohio, and Chris (Gini) Brodie of Olathe, Kansas; eight step grandchildren; special caregivers Jennifer and Charlie Rowe; and her faithful companion, Buddy.
The family will receive friends Friday from 6 to 8 P.M. at the McPeek-Hoekstra Funeral Home, 133 S. Prospect St., Granville. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.
The family would like to thank the caregivers of Home Instead Senior Care of Granville and the assisted living facility at Kendal of Granville.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Humane Society of Licking County, the United Church of Granville, or the Kendal at Granville Staff Appreciation Fund.
