Reflections of Life

Julia Harvey Derricoatte – Brannock was born on February 22, 1927, in Birmingham, AL to the parents of Ivery and Elizabeth Bush.  She was the middle of 3 children and the only girl.  She spent her early years in Greenwood, MS where she loved tending to her vegetable garden that was used to feed the family and playing in the fields with her friends and siblings.  She often spoke about how responsible she was as a child because she made sure their home was clean, prepared meals and took care of her grandmother.  She loved the summer nights when her and her mother would sit on a log in the yard, look up at the sky and talk about the stars.  They didn’t have much back then, but they were happy.

When she was a young woman, she moved to Cleveland, OH along with her mother and brothers.  Julia decided to continue her education in Cleveland and enrolled in the Jane Adams Nursing School program.  After graduating, she worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse at Polyclinic Hospital and then as a Physical Therapist at University Hospital Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital until she retired in 1987.  She loved working as a nurse and caring for children. A few years after she retired, she opened her home to babysit the children of family and friends while their parents worked.  In her later years she loved crafting, music, BINGO, astronomy and reminiscing.

Julia was preceded in death by her mother, father, husband, brothers, sisters-in-law and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, cousins and friends.

Julia lived a full and blessed life.  She lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the race to space, the rise of technology and the election of Americas’ first black president.  She was a truly kind and caring person that left a mark on every person she met.

Julia leaves to cherish her memories, her daughter Elizabeth Hector, sons Herman Person and Ronnie Pearson (Mary); grandchildren, Antwuan, Andrew, Samona, Ranje, Nicolia, Jeremiah and Jelan; great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren as well as nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Julia accepted the Lord at an early age, and she is now at peace in the arms of her Savior.