Julie Lynn Knudson, age 40, recently passed away on March 24, 2022. Julie was born on August 1st, 1981 in Deer Lodge, Montana to James Eugene Knudson and Janet Lenore Knudson. She has two older sisters, Tawny and Lisa, and one younger sister, Amy. The family moved from Deer Lodge to Billings, Montana in 1984, where Julie graduated from high school in 2000. She moved to Helena shortly thereafter, where she met and married her ex-husband Jason Slead. They had two boys together, Jaden and Jaryn, both of whom she loved very much.
Julie graduated from Helena College of Technology with an LPN degree in 2012, and spent time working as a pediatric nurse. A lifetime learner, Julie enjoyed spending time hiking in nature and appreciating it’s beauty. She loved all animals, especially her dog Petunia. As a talented artist, she enjoyed drawing and painting, and also played the piano and flute.
Julie is survived by her sons, Jaden and Jaryn Slead, her mother Jan Knudson, and sisters Tawny Childs (Alex), Lisa Hoke (Tad), and Amy Horsman (Michael), as well as her many nieces, nephews, cousins, Aunts and Uncles, all of whom will love and miss her dearly. She is preceded in death by her father James Knudson, her grandparents, Dortha and Kenneth Knudson, Barbara and Gary Pearson, cousin Trevor Brown, and uncles Richard Knudson, Gary D. Pearson, Stephen Pearson, and Benjamin Pearson.
Julie fought a difficult battle with mental illness for many years, and though it eventually lead to her early death, she was always a strong advocate for women and individuals with mental illness, given the suffering she herself experienced and the suffering she witnessed in others. She passionately believed in improving access to quality mental health treatment and as such, we would like to honor her memory by requesting donations to the National Alliance of Mental Illness in lieu of flowers. We love her deeply, and will miss her warmth, empathy, humor, insight, and passion. We invite friends, family members, and others whose lives were touched by Julie, to remember her with us at Anderson Stevenson and Wilke Funeral Home in Helena, Montana, on Saturday, April 2nd at 1p.m.
