Julie Ann Nicholls

Julie was born on October 4, 1956, in Albany, California to Molly and James Nicholls. Her parents met in England during World War II where James was serving in the US Army Air Corps and Molly worked repairing British war planes. She was a loved and devoted daughter, sister and wife.

Julie grew up in Albany, attending public school and graduated from Albany High in 1974. She continued her education at Merritt College, and then the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley she majored in Art History and graduated with honors. Julie had a strong desire to continue her education. She graduated from the University of California – Hastings College of The Law, San Francisco in 1986 with a Juris Doctorate degree. It was no surprise to her family and friends that she passed the State Bar Exam on her first try.

Her professional career spanned over 30 years supporting dozens of judges working for the Alameda County civil and criminal courts and San Francisco City and County Superior Court, criminal division as a Senior Research Attorney and appointed a City and County Commissioner. Julie happily retired from her profession in 2017 so that she could pursue her hobbies.

In 1990, Julie married the love of her life and native Albanian, Don Luoma. Although they had known of each other for most of their lives, it was not until the late 80’s when they began dating. Don and Julie briefly lived in El Cerrito before saving enough to purchase their house in Albany in 1994. Many happy times were spent with family and friends in this house.

Julie enjoyed traveling and often visited Disneyland and Disneyworld; England, Hawaii and various cities in the states to attend NASCAR races. Most knew she was an avid reader of books on a variety of topics including history, religion, politics, art, cooking and the super natural. She was fascinated by the unexplained and past cultures that no longer exist and a fan of shows that explored ancient ruins. She also enjoyed a good fiction story as well, including the Harry Potter collection. Their house had books in every room, even though Julie had an entire room devoted to her library. She planned on reading many of the books during retirement. And she enjoyed a variety of music from classical to rock.

Julie spent many hours knitting and learning different techniques. She enjoyed creating scarfs, hats and blankets for friends, family and to donate to various charities. Frequently she worked on more than one project at a time. Even during her last year, she traveled to her cancer treatment appointments with a book, music, and a knitting project to keep her occupied.

Julie is survived by her loving and devoted husband Don Luoma; sister Laurie Nicholls Medina and brother-in-law, Nick Medina; and sister-in-law Sharon White: brother-in-law Michael Luoma and wife Marian; sister-in-law Susan Heath; sister-in-law Patty Howard along with nieces and nephews.

Julie was proceeded in death by her parents James and Molly and her brother David.

During Julie’s life she was diagnosed and treated for skin cancer. In 2018, it was discovered she had Smoldering Multiple Myelomas. After undergoing treatments and recovering from a stem-cell transplant, she was well enough to travel. Don and Julie flew to Hawaii where they met up with Laurie and Nick to enjoy a week of relaxation and sightseeing. The following spring, the four again traveled, this time to England, with a quick trip to Paris on the 75 Anniversary of D-Day. And finally, in October 2019, Don and Julie visited Disneyland for her birthday.

Julie entered hospice care after a year-long battle fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia believed to be related to her prior cancer treatment. It was a tough battle, and one that she bravely faced. She passed away quietly on the evening of Saturday, April 16th with her husband and sister beside her. She is and will be missed by her friends and family.

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