Julie Amussen

Julie Amussen was born June 24, 1981 to Doug and Lois Amussen. She was the youngest of 4 daughters. She passed away peacefully surrounded by family on December 19, 2025. She is survived by her parents Doug and Lois, her sisters Lisa Amussen, Melanie McFarland (Casey) and Angie Anderson (Andy), and many nieces and nephews.

Even though Julie led a life different from most, it was vibrant. She was full of mischief, adventure and determination, always wearing a smile and often giggling for reasons known only to her. She brought light into the lives of everyone who knew her.

Julie was a free spirit and loved being outdoors. She would often head out on adventures with her tape recorder and teddy bears in tow. She was a talented escape artist and spent countless hours roaming the neighborhood on her Big Wheel, becoming well known to the residents of Hyde Park. She often made unannounced visits into neighbors homes and was always welcomed with kindness and love. Countless search parties were organized to retrieve her from her Big Wheel adventures.

Julie had a deep love for animals, especially cats and dogs. She delighted in playing with them and her affection was always heartfelt. She had a natural flair for electronics, navigating iPads and other devices with impressive skill. She loved watching videos of cats and dogs to hear them bark and meow. She also had a select few teddy bears that went everywhere with her for many years, she loved them to the point of being worn threadbare.

Music and movies brought her joy, though she had a habit of tossing her tape recorder into the neighborhood canal. Her Dad often spent hours repairing tapes and disassembling and drying out the soaked recorders so that she was ready for her next adventure. Some of her favorite movies were Old Yeller, Turner and Hooch, Pete’s Dragon, and nearly every Disney film.

When she was young Julie was fortunate to have loving family, neighbors, and friends who grew along with, loved and cared for her. During the second half of her life, her family received invaluable assistance from many devoted and loving caregivers from Cache Training Center, NES, and Chrysalis.

Together, they spent countless hours on walks—to Culver’s, where the staff knew Julie and her favorite ice cream flavors; to PetSmart, where she visited her favorite animals; to Great Harvest for slices of bread; and on many other wanderings throughout the valley.

Julie loved her walks, and now her caregivers are unsure of how they will ever reach their 10,000 steps without her. Those simple outings opened up her world and helped her experience things that she couldn’t do on her own. The caregivers who shared them were an important part of her life.

Julie will be deeply missed, she was tiny but mighty.

Not all who wonder are lost

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Cache Employment & Training Center

https://cetcsupports.org/howtohelp/#donate