Obituary of Julie Stevenson Keirn

Mrs. Julie Stevenson Keirn, 75, met her Savior face-to-face on Monday, September 23, 2024, after a long battle with vascular dementia. A Celebration of Life service for Mrs. Keirn will be held 2:00 P. M. Sunday, September 29, 2024, in the Chapel of Holman Funeral Home in Ozark (995 South Union Avenue) with Reverend Joey Hudspeth officiating. Julie will be laid to rest in Woodlawn Memory Gardens, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home in Ozark Sunday from 1:00 P.M. until service time. Born on March 10, 1949 to Billy and Rachel Monk Stevenson, Julie grew up in Daleville, Alabama along with a sister and two brothers. She was always known as a kind and loving soul and was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. Her warm, sweet, contagious smile could light up a room. She was generous, joyful, selfless, witty, and a loving servant with a fun-loving spirit. Her legacy will be one of a strong faith, a constant and unconditional love, and joyous laughter. Her childhood friends called her “an encourager” to all of her classmates and friends, a role she carried out her whole life. She served as head cheerleader for Daleville High School and was crowned Miss Daleville in 1967. Julie’s father, Billy, was a helicopter mechanic and living so close to Fort Rucker Army aviation base (now Fort Novosel), helicopters were always a part of her life. So, after high school graduation, she attended Wallace Community College and followed in her Daddy’s footsteps becoming a flight records analyst, tracking helicopter paths, working side-by-side with their pilots, and ensuring their safety while managing and approving each flight that entered or exited the base. Julie was married to Mark Keirn, and the couple lived in Ozark, Alabama. They had one daughter, Shannon, who was the pride of their lives. Shannon was very involved in school and community organizations, activities, and teams and Julie never missed a game, a competition or a performance. She once scaled a fence so fast when Shannon fell face-first from a cheerleader pyramid, that she was the first one to reach her daughter. In Ozark, Julie was an active member of various social clubs and loved to host get-togethers with friends. She taught Sunday School for high school girls at Ozark Baptist Church and poured into the lives of “her girls,” always being there for them. They could often be found at Julie and Mark’s house confiding in her or seeking advice. She was also an avid runner and created Julie’s Jocks who met her in her driveway every afternoon to run three miles. The group even had Julie’s Jocks t-shirts, so they were visible all around town. But it was when Shannon married and had children that Julie found her real purpose in life: being “JuJu” to her three grandchildren, Raley, Paxton and Landon – and their friends. Following the death of her beloved husband in 2010, Julie moved to Opelika and became the community chauffeur, ballgame cheerleader and dress-up queen. She was the fun grandmother whose favorite thing to do was to take the grandchildren and their friends to do whatever they wanted to do. She was always available to them and never turned down the opportunity to have a good time. On Monday, Julie was reunited with the love of her life, with her first grandchild, Raley, who she was not aware had gone before her, and with her parents. What incredible and joyous reunions those were. She is survived by her daughter, Shannon DeLamar and her husband, Jamie, of Opelika; grandson, Paxton (Jane) DeLamar and granddaughter, Landon, of Opelika; sister, Debra (Don) Knippers of Ozark; brothers, Michael (Jackie) Stevenson of Eufaula and Paul (Jennifer) Stevenson of Morganton, NC; and several nieces and nephews. For memorial contributions the family suggests the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or act.alz.org.