Julie Ann Skellie Smitley

Julie Ann Smitley was born on September 27, 1959 in Glens Falls, New York. She graduated from Glens Falls Senior High School in 1977. On January 12, 1983, Julie and her first husband, Augustus Fleming, had a son, Augustus William Fleming. During her life, Julie lived in San Antonio, Texas: Oldsmar, Florida; and Norfolk, Virginia. After moving to Virginia, she met and married her husband, Matt Smitley, on August 5, 2000. Only July 8, 2010 at approximately 7:20 p.m. after a long, grave battle, Julie succumbed to complications arising from diabetes.

When Julie was nineteen years olds, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Julie always felt a strong connection to the movie, Steel magnolias, relating closely to Julia Roberts’ character who suffered and ultimately died from diabetes. This horrible disease took its toll on Julie over the years, requiring hospital stays too numerous to count, dialysis and the placement of ports and pumps in her body. She suffered from gastro-neuropathy and was unable to eat normally. Most of her “eating” was done through a feeding tube. She was forced to give up working due to her numerous and lengthy hospital stays, years ago, it was determined that she should not be driving on the off chance that she would lose consciousness behind the wheel.

Notwithstanding all of this pain and suffering, Julie was an extremely happy person, Julie, or “Ju” as we liked to call her, always had a smile. She LOVED life and loved to laugh. She had a talent for making life-long friends wherever she went. She was outgoing and personable. She could be standing in the middle of a room surrounded by the arrogant rich or the common poor but would never feel out of place. She just belonged. Ju treated everyone the same, whether or not they returned the favor. That’s one of the things we loved most about her.

Julie was funny, happy, rare, a diamond in the rough. Her friend once described her as “being stuck in the left-hand turning lane going into Woodstock.” If you knew Julie, you would know that this was a perfect description of her, not meant to be insulting in any way, just simply funny and sweet…like Julie.

Julie was strong, strong enough to battle this horrific disease for thirty-ne years and strong enough to help those who had to watch her suffer. She fought the fight, finished the course and kept the faith.

On July 8, 2010 at 7:20 p.m., each of us lost a piece of our hearts but those broken pieces will be forever glued together with the thought that Julie is in a much better place; healthy, happy and probably enjoying a hamburger and French fries…”you know.”

Special thanks goes out to her mother, Barbara Skellie, and her sister, Dina Nolin, who gave so much of themselves to lovingly care for Julie during her brave struggle.

Our hearts pour out to Julie’s husband, Matt, who stood by Julie and watcher over her all of these years, and to her son, Gussie, who loved his mother so dearly.

Julie is survived by her husband, Matt Smitley; her son, Gus Fleming; her mother, Barbara Skellie; her father, William Skellie, Jr.; her sisters, Dina Nolin, Sheila Skellie and Edie Girard; her brothers, Jay Skellie and Jeffrey Skellie; her nephew, Zachary Starbird, and her nieces, Leigh Ann Rayno and Melissa Girard.