Julia Dawn Harris Haupt's Obituary
Julia Dawn Harris Haupt
July 4th, 1961 ~ January 12th, 2021 (age 59)
Julia Dawn Harris Haupt, our dear mother, sister, teacher, colleague, confidant, and friend, passed away suddenly on Tuesday the 12th of January, 2021. Julie leaves behind a legacy of love, compassion, friendship, diligence, and hope to all who knew her. Julie was kind, wise, and down-to-earth. She spent her life as an educator and a teacher in all aspects of her life, whether in her family, with her friends, in her career, or in her many other efforts to serve others. Her focus was on the well-being of others and how to best love, serve, and teach them. Julie’s willingness to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit helped her change countless lives for the better.
Julie is a Utah native — as the oldest of Phil and Renee’s children, she was born in Provo, Utah on the 4th of July, 1961, just as the Independence Day parade was passing by the hospital. She graduated from Orem High School in 1979 and earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education (department valedictorian) and a master’s degree in Family Sciences from Brigham Young University in 1985 and 1987, respectively. One of the most precious experiences from her college years was the opportunity to study abroad in Israel.
Julie’s greatest joy in life was her family--she often expressed her pride and love for her daughters Laurie, Lindsay, and Traci, and she was a dedicated mother not only to her own daughters, but also to the many foreign exchange students, friends, and family who passed through her home. Her wise advice, clear-eyed perspective, courage, and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ made her a rock for all those in her family and beyond.
Julie loved her Heavenly Father and served faithfully in many ways. She was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Venezuela Caracas Mission from 1983-1985. She served in many callings where she was able to use her talents and education, including as Relief Society President in multiple wards, in a variety of teaching positions, and as a nursery leader. She was recently released as the Relief Society president in the Sunset Hollow Ward. Julie’s testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was a light and an example and shone through in her every action.
Julie dedicated her professional career to teaching and serving students at Brigham Young University. She taught as an adjunct professor from 1987 to 2018 and as an associate professor from 2018 to the present. Her mastery of teaching, her passion for studying and writing about family topics, and her love for her students combined to make her an incredibly influential mentor for many across the years. Most recently, Julie headed the development of the Student Public Scholarship program in the School of Family Life, helping over 100 students publish in external publications.
In addition to her professional service at BYU, another defining part of Julie’s life was her work with China. In 2007, she founded the nonprofit organization Celebrating Arts with the mission to build bridges between the U.S. and China through cultural arts exchange, primarily through music and dance performances and host family experiences for youth of both countries. Over the years, as president of Celebrating Arts, she worked with the Central China Television Station and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles to organize and lead 14 exchange projects, including eight performance tours in the U.S. and five in China. Her efforts blessed thousands of youth participants, host families, colleagues, audience members, volunteers, and others in both countries, expanding their horizons and helping them to see each other with the same love that Julie saw them.
Julie was a brilliant storyteller, writer, and master of family history. She wrote her father Phil’s personal history, which has become a treasured family possession. She was a prolific writer and editor and made great contributions to the field of family studies and early childhood education.
Julie is survived by her daughters Laurie, Lindsay (Nathanael), and Traci; parents Phil and Renee; and siblings Michelle (Reed), Scott (Danette), Mark (Corinne), and Dale (Linda), as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews who will miss her greatly.
A celebration of her life will take place this Saturday, January 16th, 2021 at 11:00 am and will be broadcasted virtually at http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/Events/lehiutahthanksgivingstake
If you wish to donate to the family, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up on behalf of her three daughters. Please visit https://gofund.me/4f9b2a7b to donate.
If you wish to donate to her foundation, Celebrating Arts, please email the organizations secretary, Melissa Pope at [email protected]
Condolences can also be sent to the family at www.premierfuneral.com
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