Julie J. Card

Julie Jane Tessmer Card, died unexpectedly, on October 27, 2020. Upon recognizing her new reality and inability to change it, she likely exclaimed "Well s**t," smirked her inimitable smirk, and then, with a shrug of her shoulders, a sigh, and an "Oh well!"-lit a cigarette, grabbed a glass of chilled Chardonnay from the nearest cloud, and--while still carefully watching over her loved ones, strolled into her future exuding the same passion and enthusiasm for it, as she did for life. Jules was born in Alexandria, MN, on May 18, 1955, 25 years before Mount St. Helen's volcano exploded near Tacoma, WA, where she was living with her husband. Afterwards, when asked "When is your birthday?" she would invariably smile and proclaim "May 18th, the day the Mountain blew!" In her early years, Jules was an avid water skier, lifeguard, cowgirl, snow skier, hotel concierge, waitress, administrative assistant, real estate agent, travel agent, and painter. The job she loved most, however, was that of mother and wife, where she freely and with great pleasure served as chauffeur, mediator, counselor, teacher, cook, and overall boss. Her boys have many treasured memories of her driving them to their sport activities, band events, friends' homes, and anywhere else they needed to go. After her boys left for college, Julie visited them so often at the University of Montana and Washington State University, that many of her boys' friends started to, and many still do, call her Momma Card. At Montana State University, Jules was a proud member of Delta Gamma Sorority, a "Derby Days Queen" for Sigma Chi Fraternity, and a groupie of Sigma Nu Na, a 60's band in which her husband was a member. After college, Julie infamously won the "Worst Bowler of the Year" award, in Lacrosse, WI, was the president of the ladies nine hole golf group at the Wenatchee Golf and Country Club, was a member of PEO (she never did tell us what the initials stand for), a member of various wine tasting groups, a member of two dance groups, a frequent card and MahJong player with ladies at the Country Club, and a charter member of DABS. She had many friends and she cherished each of them, just as they cherished her. Jules' love was unconditional, and her family were as sure of it, as we were, that the sun would rise the next day. She was welcoming, nurturing, spirited, devoted, and a heck of a lot of fun. Her view of life was dominated by common sense, optimism, productivity, and practicality. She had an uncanny and sometimes confounding ability to be right, a fact she gloated about through a sign she displayed prominently in our home: "If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your mother told you." She was slow to anger, but quick to flash her million-megawatt smile. When her funny bone was tickled, she unabashedly shared her uniquely infectious and heartwarming laugh; a laugh we, who loved her, will remember fondly and miss greatly for so long as we live. Julie is survived by her devoted husband of 45 years, Lewis W. Card; her boys and their wives: Lewis Alan and Sasha Card and Andrew James and Yuri Card; her grandchildren: Addisyn Elizabeth and Lewis Lee Card; parents, Ken and Tolly Tessmer; siblings and their spouses: Steve and Patti Tessmer and Amy and David Sunderlund; uncle, Ev Tessmer; Arizona and Minnesota cousins; mother-in-law, Rose Card; sister-in-law, Lynn Stevenson and her husband, Jeff; and brother-in-law, Bill Card and his wife, Klara. Julie was wonderful, beautiful inside and out, and is sorely missed. Because of Covid-19, her family will plan a Celebration of her Life sometime in the future. Meanwhile, please toast her today by raising a glass of your favorite beverage, saying "uff da" in honor of her Norwegian and Swedish heritage, and quaffing your beverage with a smile on your face.

Julie J. Card

May 18, 1955 - October 27, 2020