Julie Marie Pfel

Julie Marie (Ihli) Pfel, age 48, of La Grande, died December 31, 2007 at the Grande Ronde Hospital. Recitation of the Holy Rosary will be held on Sunday, January 6, 2008, 7:00pm, at Daniels~Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center, 1502 7th Street. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, January 7, 2008, 1:00pm at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. Committal and interment will follow at the Hillcrest East Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to attend the memorial reception following the interment at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church hall.

Julie was born on August 24, 1959, the daughter of Sylvester B. and Marjorie Jean (Burnett) Ihli in San Jose, California. Her mother died three days after her birth. She was raised in San Jose until she entered high school when she moved to La Grande. She graduated from high school with the class of 1977. She was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church.

Julie had a big heart and an active, free spirit. She had a wonderful outlook and enjoyed life to the fullest. She had a great sense of humor and a wonderful, contagious laugh. She was devoted to her two sons, they were the most important thing in her life. She was an amazing daughter, sister, and a friend to all who knew her. She was the Secretary of the Union County Fair Association for many years, an assistant for the La Grande School District, and was currently working at the Grande Ronde Child Center. She enjoyed gardening, traveling, the beach, and was an avid reader.

Survivors include her sons, Maverick Pfel of Portland and Austin Pfel of La Grande; father, Sylvester Ihli of La Grande; sisters and their husbands, Pam and Gregg Kleeman, and Dawn and Bruce Roe of La Grande; nephews, Scott, Chris, Ben and Paul and many other relatives and friends.

Those who wish may make contributions in her memory to the United Way or to the charity of one's choice.