Juliette E. Thedford, 95, of Beaumont, died Friday, February 8, 2013, at Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth, Beaumont. Julie was born to John Paul and Fadwa Waken just after her twin sister Jeannette on January 26, 1918, in Enid, Oklahoma. She and her five sisters and one brother were raised in a traditional Lebanese family; faithful Catholics with strong family values. She attended Catholic school and worked in the family grocery store. After graduating from high school, Julie attended business college and after graduation began a long career of many interesting jobs including a few years working in the Washington D.C. office of Oklahoma Congressman Page Belcher Sr. She continued working for the Federal Government in many agencies and various positions including taking depositions for World War II Veterans and as the Secretary to the Chief of Psychiatry at the V.A. Hospital in Oklahoma City. She met and married Walter L. “Ted” Thedford in 1951 while he was stationed at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma where she also worked. Their three children were born during the time which they were stationed on many United States Army bases. In 1965 Julie accepted a transfer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture office in Beaumont, Texas where she worked until her retirement in 1978 after thirty-seven years of Federal service. She then worked for a few years for Continental Grain Company. She met many friends and made many wonderful memories in Beaumont. Her world revolved around her children and she instilled in them strong faith, strong values, the importance of hard work, loyalty to family and the importance of having fun together. Julie never met a stranger and no matter their age, gender or background she loved hearing their family stories and sharing hers. Her door was always open to her friends and her children’s friends and many happy times were spent with her in good conversation, sharing good food, music and card games. She loved to cook Lebanese food and share her heritage. She was compassionate and kind, would do anything possible to help a friend, and always defended the underdog. After her kids were grown, she spent many hours knitting and crocheting, making afghans for extended family members and friends. Like all of her siblings, Julie was an avid bridge player. She played duplicate bridge at the Beaumont Bridge Studio, party bridge with her bridge clubs, and in tournaments at every opportunity. Julie was a parishioner at St. Anne Catholic Church for 47 years, a founding member of the 49+ Club at St. Anne’s, a volunteer at Birthright and at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. But most of all she enjoyed spending as much time as possible with her kids and grandkids or traveling with or visiting her siblings. After many years of living a great distance from each other, her twin sister Jeannette moved to Beaumont in 2011 so they could spend their last years together.
Survivors include her daughter, Kristi Kimura and her husband, Bobby; sons, John Thedford and his wife, Maria Leise and Kurt Thedford and his wife, Jenny; grandchildren, Christian Kimura, Ben Thedford, Jay Thedford, Sam Thedford, and Max Thedford; twin sister, Jeannette Chaplin; sister, Mary Rose Waken and her husband, Joseph Boulder; and brother, Dr. John K. Waken and his wife, Grace.
She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Walter L. Thedford; sisters, Blanche Richards, Alice Marek and Helen Haddad; and grandson, Justin Thedford.
A private Rosary for Mrs. Thedford will be recited on Monday, February 11, 2013. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 12, 2013, at St. Anne Catholic Church, 2715 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, by Reverend Msgr. Michael Jamail, with a gathering of her family and friends immediately following in the Parish Hall for a luncheon and celebration of Julie’s life. Interment will be held at a later date in Enid, Oklahoma.
Memorial contributions may be made to Birthright of Beaumont, 2626 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77702 or St. Anne 49+ Club, 2715 P.O. Box 3429, Beaumont, Texas 77704.
We would like to thank Dr. Daniel Harmon, Dr. Jeremy Huff, Penny Sirmons, R.N, Dr.Timothy Colgan, Becky Sitton, R.N. and Greg Gilbreath APRN, who with their care and compassion and expert skills helped Julie achieve many years of health and quality of life. We would also like to thank all of the staff at Atria Collier Park for their care and support for the past few years, her many Collier Park friends, and her private duty “angels” Shelia, Sheca, Tiffany, Angelika, Misty, Tracy and April.