Julia Vandellan Byrne

A life well lived. Julia Vandellan Byrne passed away peacefully on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Julia was preceded in death by her father, Arthur Rush; mother, Dorothy Rush; sister, Donna Larson; beloved husband, Francis Malcolm Byrne and son, Michael Francis Byrne.

Julia was born on May 26, 1939 in Bristol, Va. Julia, known to many as Judy, and her husband Frank moved to Fountain Hills after retiring from the Washington D.C. area in 1992. Julia was very active in the community, working at Fantasia Interiors, volunteering at the voting polls and the Fountain Hills Community Center.

Julia is survived by her four daughters, Donna Sherwood Byrne, Nora Stacy Wells, Mary Frances Byrne, and Kathleen Julia McGowan; grandchildren, Joshua Wells, Clara McGowan, Chloe Wells, Rachel Paper, Brenna McGowan, Christian McGowan, and Samantha Paper; great grandchildren, Caleb Wells, Kaiya Wells, and Liam Wells, plus two more on the way.

Due to COVID regulations, a date and time for Julia’s celebration of life is yet to be determined. If you would like to be part of Julia’s Celebration of Life, please contact Mary at 1965giraffe@gmail.com for the latest update. In lieu of flowers and/or gifts, please consider making a donation to the Fisher House Foundation, fisherhouse.org, or the Alzheimer’s Association, alzheimers.org. If you would like to share a special memory about Julia, please visit the obituary page on the Messinger Mortuaries website at messingermortuary.com/listings.