Julia S. Lamb

Julie Lamb was born in Passaic, New Jersey, on October 3, 1956, and passed on June 15, 2023. Her parents were Jane (Solfleisch) and Jerome Lamb. Julie and her brother, Bill, grew up in several east coast locations and they lived for five years in Speicher, Germany. As a child and throughout her life, she loved spending time with family and friends at the cottage on Cape Cod.

Upon graduation from Drew University, in Madison, NJ, Julie was selected by the Princeton in Asia Program to teach English in Thailand. She lived for three years in the rural Northeast region of Thailand and taught English to Thai teachers-in-training at Mahasarakham University. This period of time greatly influenced her future goals and interests.  When Julie left Thailand, she came to Northern Illinois University where she studied Southeast Asian Studies, anthropology, and education, and earned a Master's degree.

From 1983 to 1997, Julie was employed at Kishwaukee College as Coordinator of the Refugee Program, and eventually, the Adult Literacy Program. In 1997, she became the Outreach Coordinator/Undergraduate Academic Advisor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University. At NIU, Julie was active in a number of diversity programs and for the Center, she developed international, college/university, K-12, and community programs. The greatest joy of her job was the time she spent with undergrad and grad students as an Academic Advisor and mentor for students pursuing Southeast Asian Studies. Julie was an accomplished storyteller who loved to share her experiences and loved hearing her students talk about their experiences and their goals for the future. She retired from NIU in 2014. Julie thoroughly enjoyed her final work chapter as an administrative assistant at the Suter Company and she shared the company's value for volunteering and service to the community.

Julie was an active volunteer in the DeKalb community for many years. She was on the Board at the NIU Pick Museum of Anthropology. She was active for many years on the boards for Altrusa International of DeKalb County and for Hope Haven of DeKalb County. She was humbled and honored to have received the Woman of Accomplishment Award from the DeKalb Chamber in 2022.

Julie was preceded by her parents. She is survived by her spouse of twenty-five years, Nancy Keiser; her brother, Bill Lamb; sister-in-law, Terri Mann Lamb; nieces Indya (Alex) Viera of North Carolina, Asheli Mann (Mark) Lofthouse of DeKalb, Garland Mann Lamb of Worcester, MA; great nieces Raegan, Violet, and Ysa; great nephews Teddy and Xander; and her best friend of nearly 50 years, John Brandon of Maryland.

Julie dearly loved spending time with her family and friends. She was an avid reader and enjoyed watching various Netflix series. She saw nearly every movie that was ever made. Julie and Nancy loved to travel together and some highlights for her were their trips to England, Wales, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos – as well as visits to numerous National Parks in the USA. She had an amazing talent for understanding how things worked – she could take things apart, fix them, and put them back together after watching a YouTube video with only an occasional use of colorful language.

The family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses, and staff at Delnor Cancer Center, particularly Dr. Grace Suh, who helped Julie in her quest to fight like a warrior. Appreciation also goes to everyone at Kish Northwestern Hospital who provided care for Julie during this journey of nearly four years. And a special thanks goes to Jennifer Lane neighbors whose friendship and support meant so much to Julie.

Cremation has been entrusted to Finch Funeral Home 310 Oak St. DeKalb, IL 60115 815-758-3841. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday September 22, 2023, at 4:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of DeKalb at 158 N. 4th St. DeKalb. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Julie's memory to Hope Haven in DeKalb, IL, or to DeKalb County Community Gardens.