Julie Ann Goddard

Julie Ann Goddard, 26, returned to her heavenly home and was reunited with her loving father on Monday, January 16, 2023. All who knew Julie Ann were touched by her gentle, kind-hearted spirit. She lived a life of thoughtful, dedicated study and service to others.

Julie Ann was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, but moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa when she was four years old and spent the rest of her childhood there. She later attended Brigham Young University and graduated with a degree in genetics, genomics, and biotechnology, as well as a minor in Spanish. Afterward, she was accepted into Baylor College of Medicine and was working toward her PhD in genetics. Baylor was her dream school, and she loved her colleagues, her cohort, and the research she was involved in. She had recently passed her qualifying exam and was starting to research optic nerve regeneration and its future implications for neurodegenerative diseases.

Julie Ann was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was committed to following Jesus Christ. Through personal experience, she knew that God loved her unconditionally. She served as a full-time missionary for the Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and later as a temple worker in the Provo, Utah temple. More recently, she served as a Primary teacher for a group of enthusiastic nine year olds. During times of darkness, Julie Ann tried to seek light and allow spirituality to refine her. Despite many great trials in her life, Julie Ann lived what she believed with courage and perseverance.

Julie Ann had a beautiful heart. She was a gay woman and cared deeply about the people in her life. She was soft-spoken and kind in her interactions with others, and she respected people for who they were. She was sensitive to individuals or groups that might feel overlooked or marginalized, continually seeking to understand their perspectives.

Julie Ann had a wry, sassy sense of humor that delighted her family and friends. She was a lifelong learner that sought out a wide variety of new experiences. She especially enjoyed gymnastics, bouldering, watercolor painting, eating chocolate, dancing, hiking, and playing the piano and cello.

Julie Ann was preceded in death by her father. She is survived by her mother, three sisters, two brothers-in-law, five adoring nieces and nephews, her cat, and many cherished friends and extended family members.

The family wishes to express their immense gratitude to Julie Ann’s friends at Baylor College of Medicine, her Lift and Love LGBTQ+ group, as well as many others that provided unconditional love, help, and validation. Likewise, many thanks to the doctors, therapists, good Samaritans, and emergency workers who each sought to help Julie Ann to the best of their ability.

And to our beautiful Julie Ann: we love you completely, we miss you terribly, and we will see you again. Until then, hold on tight to those very long ears.