Julie Freehill-Steinkoenig Memorial Fund

Julie's friends and family welcome you to join us in honoring her life, love and spirit by donating to this Memorial Fund. Just as we were not ready to lose her, no mother is ever ready to leave her children. This memorial will be used in the exact way that Julie would have wanted- to ensure that her daughters have everything they need to experience the world like normal, joyful young women. Please consider donating at any level, to honor Julie by wrapping our support around her girls. Mike, Julie's husband, will use the funds over the next several years to pay for their clothes, sports, parties... those things in life that are essential to Julie's daughters being able to enjoy their hobbies and friends, and feel loved and supported by their community.

So, the back-story...

I don’t think that anyone is ever truly prepared to lose a loved one.

We watched as Julie, our loved one, wife, mother, daughter, aunt, coach, sister, and friend battled cancer for 10 years. She fought long and hard to be there for the people that needed her with unparalleled determination and spirit. Needless to say, we feel that her loss from our lives came much too soon. While at the same time, we are so thankful for every day we had after that initial, dreadful diagnosis. We know she is now at peace and no longer in pain. We love her and miss her every day. 

We wanted to set up this page in order to ensure that Rayven, Corinne and Lauren don't have to worry about day to day struggles on top of losing their mother. They will need time to heal and process this profound loss. Julie would want to ensure that her girls didn't have to worry about whether or not they have the resources to do all the things that make life joyful and enriching- their sports, friends, style, celebrations, hobbies, etc. 

As we near what would have been Julie's 42 birthday at the end of March, we are hosting a celebration of life to honor the great woman she was. It will be held at Cheeks Bar & Grill (Address Here ) on the evening of April 7th (details to come).

We know we are asking for a lot from our families and friends. However, if we all pull together and donate what we feel comfortable with, the support we can give these girls will be immense! Even a small donation means the world to us. 

Below is some of her story from the beginning. All she ever wanted was more time with her girls. I think we all want that. Time. It’s something we take for granted every day. We carry her in our hearts and are going to be here to take care of her girls.  

Thank you for your love and support!


We will end this brief tribute with these words from Julie (from her Livestrong page, written around 2012 and after)

Who am I...

Although not the first time I have been asked to reflect and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards) and describe who I am, never has it been so hard. Maybe it is because I know what is at stake. Maybe it is because looking back will make it more difficult to look forward. I don’t know…but here it goes.

Backstory:

As you may have heard by now we have discovered that my cancer battle is not over. For those of you who may be new to this site I have created a time line below to get you up to speed!

Mar 2010- Diagnosed with Cervical Cancer

Apr 2010- Radical Robotic Hysterectomy. Lymph nodes removed and three test positive

June- Sept 2010- Chemo/Radiation

It is now two years later and the cancer is back, or never was really gone to begin with.  This has been a huge blow and the hits just keep on coming.  The discovery, a tumor, was determined inoperable.  Now we move forward, ready to fight again.

It is at times like these that you realize how wonderful social media tools are for keeping friends and family informed and up to date.  Having been a reader and writer of these, I know first hand the impact that a site like this can have on those involved.   It is a place for information sharing, support generating, and helps in building valuable relationships.

Although scared, I am ready to take this new challenge in my life head on.  With the love and support of my mother Nancy Nelson and my father and stepmother Joe Freehill and Linda Curtis Freehill in addition to my amazing friends and family I will not feel alone.

My name is Julie Steinkoenig. Born and raised in Bloomington, IL, I have played many roles in this community. I am a daughter, wife, sister, aunt, friend, coach, coworker and most importantly… I am a mother. So lucky am I to have three girls in my life who bring so much joy to my world. Rayven, Corinne  and Lauren. Being a mother has been the most amazing privilege; one that I never saw coming. I can remember when I was younger making those typical teenager statements such as “I never want kids” and “I don’t want to ever get old”. How strange that all I care about now is my kids and all I do is hope every minute that I am lucky enough to “get old”. Of course back then I would have thought 35 was old, now I know that it is so incredibly young. I have so much to look forward to in my life. I want to be there for my girls, see them grow, hold them when they are sad and hug them when they are happy. I want to teach them to drive and then catch them sneaking out of my house at night to take the car and meet up with friends. I want to be here to see them in love for the first time, going to school dances, worrying about their dresses. I want to watch them graduate and see what they choose to do with their futures.

I just want to be in their futures. It is that simple.

Cheers to the future,

Julie.