Julia Euliss Brady

Julia Euliss Brady, of Saint Cloud, Florida was ushered into the presence of Jesus on February 3rd 2025, as her family, by her side, sang “When we all get to Heaven what a Glorious day that will be!” Her Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, February 8 at 2:00 PM at Lowe Funeral Home in Burlington, NC. The service will also be livestreamed and can be found at lowefuneralhome.com. The family will meet with friends at 1:00pm prior to the service. Julia was born on March 31, 1926, in Snow Camp, North Carolina to John Claude Euliss and Julia Florence (Carter) Euliss, brother Jim Euliss (wife Juanita), Ruth (Reginald Mabe) and Mary Mae (Lefty Young). After her mother died shortly after her birth, her Aunt Swannie (Pickard) came to care for her and her older siblings. This created a special and unique bond. Julia viewed her as a mother figure and referred to her Aunt Swannie as her hero. Who she was, was shaped and molded by her intimate relationship with Jesus that began shortly after she married “the preacher” and become the “pastors wife” of Calvary Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC. One night after a revival service she sat down with Howell and told him that she was upset. She had always believed joining the church was all she had to do to go to heaven, but the preacher at the revival had said that was not enough. Howell, pulled out his bible, read scripture with her, and her life was forever changed as she met Jesus. Julia was later baptized by him. 

At the age of 98, Julia has been preceded in death by many loved ones over the years, including her husband of 16 years (in 1968), Howell Vernon Brady, Sr., who she loved immensely! As an indication of her commitment, faithfulness and honor of him, she wore her wedding rings for the next 57 years, expressing her love and respect for him. She loved his humor, his compassion and the way he loved people. He was her best friend. Julia was forty-one when Howell passed away which left her as a widow and single mother to raise her children Howell “Vernon” Jr and Julia “Marie”. She did a phenomenal job stepping into her new roll and raised two incredible children on her own. The circumstances of her life developed the godly characteristics of perseverance, joy and peace within her; things that can only be truly attained through the relationship she had with Jesus. She was a remarkably strong woman, mother, aunt, grandmother, and gigi (great grandmother). Her lifelong dream was to be a bank teller, and she was thrilled when she got a job at the bank, even though it was not initially as a teller. She patiently waited until a position opened and giddy when she finally was able to become a teller. She loved her customers and co-workers knowing many of them by name and keeping up with and caring about the details of their lives. In January of 1991 she retired from the North Branch of Wachovia Bank in Burlington, North Carolina. 

Retirement kept her busy, whether taking art classes with her niece Janet (Jerry Fisher) or serving at Alamance Regional Hospital as a “pink lady” in the gift shop. She was consistently looking for ways to spark joy within herself and serve others. She loved singing in the church choir and was a committed member of Glen Hope Baptist Church.

Julia was the most genuine southern belle of a woman, with an outgoing personality and an infectious smile. She loved people well, with intentionality, and she loved her family even more. She loved being an Aunt to her nieces and nephews and loved being a cousin to the Pikes and Thompsons of Snow Camp. She would find joy when they could all come together and spend time with one another, especially if someone brought dessert!

Her love for Jesus propelled her to love others well. She was gentle and humble, she never overreacted to things, and hardly ever complained. She never gave advice, but she would always listen and validate you. In 1996 she was ecstatic to learn that Vernon and his wife Lynn were moving to North Carolina, just a mere 12 minutes away. This meant that she was able to spoil her grandchildren Ashley (husband, Ronny Brown) and John Robert (whom she affectionately called Jesse) regularly. The next 13 years were filled with so many special memories as the five of them would do nearly everything together. Julia was an incredible mother-in-law and grandmother. She was such an encourager and supporter of everything they ever set out to do, and while being their grandma, she was also their friend. In the spring of 2009 Julia moved to Florida to live with her daughter Marie in Saint Cloud, Florida. They enjoyed making evening trips to Disney World and weekend trips to Daytona Beach. One of her favorite trips she took was an Alaskan Cruise with Marie when she was 91 years old. Julia found beauty each morning in the flowers outside her window, watching the birds and hearing them sing. Julia loved going to lunch with the ladies after church, attending a widows luncheon every other month, having dinner with her neighborhood friends and singing at the nursing home to the “old people”, who were often much younger than her. 

She valued being “Ms. Julia” and having a special and unique relationship with the Kline family. Sherry, Drew and their children Michael and Hannah became very special to her. She shared special memories with them setting up the Christmas tree each year and playing games with them. Sometime in the last 10 years of her life she discovered the world of Facebook. While often terrifying for her family with concerns of what she might accidentally post, she loved this as a tool for keeping up with friends and family, and looked at it as a reminder of birthdays she may have otherwise forgotten. She’d often share stories of things she had read from friends on Facebook, as if she had had a conversation with them. In 2023 she became a great grandma (Gigi) to little “Waylon” Howell Brown. If being a Grandma was special, then being a Great Grandma was extra special for her. She stayed up all night waiting to hear when he was born and was so thrilled when she finally got to hold him. She would consistently ask when she would get to see him again and complain (perhaps the only time we heard her complain) that he was getting too big too fast. She loved him, and as soon as he could learn the words Gigi, he would ask for her! Thankful for technology and her having an iPhone, FaceTime calls were a regular treat. While she will be incredibly missed and she leaves a “Julia” sized unique hole in the hearts of many, the testimony of her life and the way that she lived it with such integrity and transparency will continue to be remembered. We do not grieve as those without hope, because we are confident in the eternal home that Julia was welcomed to, the moment she left her earthly vessel of a body. Julia lived a long, full life and as a family would be honored if you would join us to celebrate her life well lived on Saturday, February 8th at 2pm at Lowe Funeral Home in Burlington, NC. The family will be receiving friends during a visitation starting at 1 pm. The funeral will be live streamed for friends who cannot make it.