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Faith Roselle Julian of Oak Park, Illinois
March 18, 1944 - March 26, 2026
Faith Roselle Julian, of Oak Park, passed away peacefully on March 26, 2026.
Faith was born in Chicago March 18, 1944, and was the beloved daughter of Dr. Percy Lavon Julian and Dr. Anna Johnson Julian. She moved with her parents and her brother, Percy Julian, Jr, to Oak Park as a young girl. When her family moved to Oak Park as the only Black family in the community, they were met with violence on two occasions. First, their home was the target of arson. On a second occasion, a dynamite bomb was hurled towards young Faith’s window. The bomb deflected off of the wall of the house and bounced back toward the ground, where it exploded. Despite this, Faith and her family were determined not to leave and remained in their home in Oak Park.
Faith was known for her generosity. She was generous with her time—volunteering on numerous efforts including reading to those who were blind. This is how she met her best friend, Anthony Thomas, as she read to him while he was in law school. Faith was generous with her effort—she was always one to remember others with a phone call, a card, a gift or flowers. Faith was generous with her spirit—she remained a contributor to the Oak Park community and a stalwart steward of her family’s legacy.
Faith attended Oak Park River Forest High School. She went on to graduate college at Roosevelt University in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Faith worked in Chicago for Court Services as a social worker and then taught English as a second language. Faith ultimately left this latter position to care for her father who was terminally ill with cancer. Faith also served as a dedicated caretaker for her mother in her mother’s later years.
Faith was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, and her cousin who was raised with her--Leon Rhoderic Ellis. She is survived by her niece, Dr. Katherine Julian, several cousins, and so many life-long friends, including her best friend, Anthony Thomas. Faith touched the lives of so many and had friends across the country who will mourn her passing.
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Robert McLaren
Here is a link to the obituary with a photo of Faith.
Obituary | Faith Roselle Julian of Oak Park, Illinois | Peterson-Bassi Chapels Chicago, IL
R. McLaren
David Yavitz
Faith was in my public speaking class and I will always remember her in speaking about her self-deprecativition and courage and being one, if not the only, black student at Oak Park in 1962.
Karen Cademartori (Gardner)
My fondest memory of Faith was around Christmas time. A group of us would get together and hit the neighborhoods singing Christmas carols. What a fun time that was! I know her family had problems back then, being the only black family in Oak Park, but that was never an issue for me. She was always a kind and caring person. Over the years, I often thought about reaching out to her, but never did...now it's too late. (If you have old friends who you've not seen or talked with in a while, think about doing so 'before it's too late'...just sayin...)
Nancy Tobias (Hylbert)
I remember walking past Faith's house from my house on Fair Oaks to high school each day and thinking it was special. (A little jealous) It seems that Faith followed in her parents' footsteps by helping others.Margaret Fleck (DeBock)
I became friends with Faith in Freshman year. When I was hospitalized for a minor surgery during spring vacation, Faith called me a few times to see how I was doing. I was also in that speech class when Faith gave very moving presentation of the time her house was bombed. She was a kind and very thoughtful person.
Carol Greenup (Cortez)
I never personally knew Faith but I always admired her family: both parents SO coureglous and highly educated (definintely higher degrees than my parents combined). And how strong she and her family needed to be to survive the hatred that was thrown their way in our days.
Please: Google Dr. Julian: He invented so many things that have helped the world and all of us!
I recall several very funny stories from Joy Sligh. Joy - please share if you feel comfortable. I think everyone woud enjoy hearing the "laid-back" humorous approach Dr. Julian took to life. It would really give everyone a true sense of Dr. Julian's humor and method of coping.
May they all rest in peace - Faith, Percy Jr, Roddy, and Dr. and Dr. Julian.