Julie Renee (Brandt) Anderson was born on June 27, 1962 to Grace and Raymond Brandt in Goessel, KS. She was told that mom was milking cows when she went into labor and dad was working in the field. Julie attended Elementary School in Hillsboro, KS. She was a VERY shy little girl and very attached to her mom. Her first day of kindergarten had many tears and mom had to sneak away. 4th grade was at a country school called Suncrest, 5th and 6th grade in Durham, KS, 7th and 8th grade in Lehigh, KS, High School in Hillsboro, KS, graduating in 1980. She got married soon after graduating and decided marriage was more important than college which disappointed her father. She had several failed marriages which she struggled with but was blessed with two wonderful sons, Dustin and Zach, whom she is very proud of!!
Julie met Lloyd in June of 2002. They had seen each other in passing off and on but one day he got up the nerve to pull into her driveway on his Honda motorcycle. They dated for 3 years and were married on June 25, 2005. They were not only joined in marriage but were also best friends. Julie lost her mom to cancer one month before her marriage to Lloyd. She was very close to her mom and so wished that she could have been a part of this very special day in her life. While her mom was going through cancer treatments she told Julie that she had found a very special man in Lloyd and was so happy they had found each other.
Julie's first job was working for Willard Westblade as a part time secretary while still attending High School. Future jobs included working for her Aunt and Uncle as a waitress at Newberry Creek Resort-Lake Texoma, working for John Beltz at the hardware store, Nurse Aide at Salem Homes, secretary for attorney John Johnson, a line worker at Barkman Honey and then a few years later she was hired again to work in the Barkman Honey offices. She worked at the Barkman Honey offices for 30 years in various roles. She ended her employment with Barkman Honey in August of 2021 due to the toll cancer treatments were taking on her.
Julie enjoyed taking long walks, crocheting many creations which included many gifts for family and friends, and reading. She always had a love for reading but went years without reading a book thinking she just didn't have the time. After she ended her employment with Barkman Honey she had much more time on her hands. Her daughter-in-law Laura started giving her some books to read and she soon became hooked and couldn't wait for the next book. She also thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her family and treasured every visit and phone call from her kids and grandkids. Visiting with her dad and step mom was also very important to her. She became much closer with her brother and sister through the years and enjoyed the time she got to spend with them. Laurie made it a point to visit once or twice a year and kept updated on life through many phone calls. They could share anything and everything with each other. They recently took a trip to Colorado which was a big highlight for Julie. Mike became her sounding board for medical questions and advice. He has been a huge blessing to her by driving her to MANY medical appointments in Kansas City. He always made it a point to be available when she needed him and she is so very grateful!
Julie was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in August of 2006, one year after her marriage to Lloyd and 1 year after losing her mom to cancer. She went through chemotherapy, radiation and many surgeries. After finishing all of these treatments and surgeries in 2007 she thought she was cancer free. 11 years later in September of 2017 she received the news that her breast cancer was back and had spread to her bones which meant she was now Stage 4 and had MBC(metastatic breast cancer). In June of 2020 she received the news that the cancer had spread to her liver. She remembers this day very clearly as she was riding home with Dustin and Zach after appointments in Kansas City when she received the phone call. She always tried to be strong around her boys but they got to witness their mom's fear and the many tears that came with it. That was a very hard day for all of them. Julie has been in treatment for MBC since October of 2017 and has struggled with all the side effects that came with it.
Julie is survived by husband Lloyd Anderson, sons Dustin (Laura) Hendricks of Canton, KS, Zach Anderson (Haley Rudolph) of Hillsboro, KS, Andrew (Cheyenne) Anderson of Kingston, OK, grandchildren Cohen and Cade Hendricks, Kenton, Katelynn and Lexi Anderson, father Raymond (Rosie) Brandt of Newton, KS, sister Laurie (Joe) Luken of Cincinnati, OH, brother Mike (Deb) Brandt of Hillsboro, KS, nieces Amelia Brandt of Baltimore, MD, Meghan Brandt of Lowell, AR, Emily Luken of Chicago, IL, Heather Luken of Sandusky, OH. Inlaws, Rosalie McCune, Sheila (Jerry) Ouellette, Doug (Amy) Anderson, Tom (Karla) Anderson, and many other relatives. She was preceded in death by her mother, Grace Brandt, Grandparents David and Lydia Ewert, William and Anna Brandt, father in law Ken McCune, Grandparents in law, Henry and Oda Christiansen, Jake and Paulie Hemstrom.