Julie Patrice Robarge

Julie Patrice Robarge went to be with her Lord on Feb. 8, 2025, peacefully from her home in Ossineke, surrounded by her family. She was born in Bay City, Michigan, on Aug. 19, 1952, to the late John Hulbert Weible and Doris Viola (Dillon) Weible. As a young girl, she spent her childhood years with her older sister Pamela in Tawas, often traveling to Whittemore to visit her grandparents, Horace and Edna Dillon. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her grandfather Horace, listening to his poetry, tending to his orchard, and attaining gardening skills she would carry throughout her life.

After high school, Julie attended Saginaw Valley State University, graduating with honors and majoring in Criminal Justice and Sociology. She began her career with Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency as a grant writer and later as a manager for the Reuniting Families Program. While employed there, she met her best friend and devoted life partner, James Robarge. On Nov. 7, 1981, the two were married at Trinity Episcopal Church in Alpena and were inseparable for the next 44 years of their life together. In their early years of marriage, James and Julie favored the country lifestyle. They took up residency on a small farm in Herron, Michigan, with Julie’s favorite lesson horse, an Appaloosa gelding, Diamond Back Jack. The family farm grew over the years with the addition of their two sons Joel and Jameson along with a few more quarter horses and some limousine cattle. It was also at that time; they became proud members of the Challengers Farm Bureau Group. Julie enjoyed horseback riding and was a Michigan Quarter Horse Association member. When Julie was not found training, showing, or competitive riding, she would often spend her weekends traveling throughout the state, judging at quarter horse shows and county fairs.

Her most memorable experience was winning the showmanship halter class at the prestigious Michigan Palomino Futurity in Mason, Michigan with her yearling filly, “Silence’s Selection (Lexi).” Though limited, when she did have free time, she continued her education by attending Central Michigan University, where she received her Master of Art’s in counseling and eventually held both her Professional Counselor and Certified Social Worker Licensures for the State of Michigan. Shortly after graduating with her master’s degree, she took a position with Community, Family, and Children’s Services of Alpena as a Family Services Counselor. After obtaining her graduate specialty certification in Alcohol and Drug Abuse from Western Michigan University, Julie went to work for Alpena General Hospital-Birchwood Center for Chemical Dependency as an addiction counselor.

Julie and Jim decided to move from farming to finding a home site to raise their sons. In the early ’90s, they found a small vacant piece of agricultural property in Ossineke and decided this would be a perfect location for the family. Julie spent her time designing the home they would eventually build and live their lives together in. In the final stages of her career, she discovered her true passion at Alpena Community College, where she served as a career counselor for the Upward Bound Program. Collaboration with young high school students, she helped them prepare education plans that would assist them in meeting their post-graduate education goals and ambitions. She retired from that position with distinction after 19 years of service in 2013.

In the summer months, you could often find her early in the morning, sitting and reading scripture on her back patio with her barn cats, Scooter, Honey, Buddy-Boy, and Jana, curled up on the warm concrete at her feet. Julie was an avid gardener who continued with the teachings of her grandfather, tending to her vegetable garden, fruit trees (apple, peach, and pear), grapevines, and rose bushes that adorned her home and provided for her family. She looked forward to the weekend retreats with her close cousins Linda, Sharyl, and Robin. Those trips included a great deal of laughter, delicious food, bargain sopping, and daylong canasta tournaments. When it came to the holidays, it would be tough to enter Julie’s kitchen without smelling the sweet aromas of freshly baked bread and cookies from all the skills she obtained as a young girl from her grandma Hazel Weible from Standish. Julie enjoyed spending time with her family outdoors, which included numerous trips backpacking and camping with Jim and their sons along the scenic Pictured Rocks National Park Lakeshore. Whitewater rafting at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in North Carolina with her family and her youngest son Jameson as their guide. Fishing trips stretching from the Upper Peninsula (Curtis) for perch and walleye to brown trout with her father on Big Twin Lake in Mancelona and as far as Alaska for halibut. Julie also traveled with her parents and son Joel to the Orkney Islands to visit her father’s family and see their ancestral home in Kirkwall. Family heritage was always important to her, and she always treasured this memorable trip as a milestone in her life.

Julie lived a life dedicated to serving others, never expecting recognition or anything in return. She would spend countless hours making stained glass artwork or weaving baskets, which she would fill them with care items and words of encouragement that she would freely give to others struggling with the same health challenges she, too, struggled with for over 28 years. Based on the importance surrounding those situations, her family would often go to bed only to wake up the following morning and find her still laboring in her kitchen or workshop to complete a project. She would volunteer her time and cooking talents, working with the kitchen staff for Spirit Wind Ministries Children’s summer camp or volunteering with the Community Bible Study and Council on Ministries. Julie spent 15 years serving as a beloved small group leader for Teen Community Bible Study. She lovingly guided girls through close to twenty books of the Bible. As a result, she has had a profound effect for Christ in the lives of countless young women. Julie lived a life with a bold passion and love for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She always felt in her heart that it was God’s plan for her while here to love, encourage, and be a blessing to everyone who crossed her path, no matter how brief the encounter might be The setbacks Julie had to endure only strengthened her character as it prepared her for the next step she would take in God’s plan for her life. She was a true warrior for the Lord, and she never gave up.

Julie was preceded in death by her sister, Pamela Sue, her parents, John H. and Doris V. Weible, and her father and mother-in-law Robert L. And Darlene F. Robarge. She is survived by her husband, James of Ossineke, MI., and sons, Joel (Marley) Reeves of Escanaba, MI., and Jameson (Nicole) Robarge of Alpena, MI. She is also survived by her aunt Audrey Dudo of Big Rapids, MI, and her uncle Bob Dillon of Whittemore, MI.

The family will have a memorial service to celebrate Jule’s life on May 10, 2025 at 11 a.m. at New Life Christian Fellowship, 317 S. Ripley Blvd. Alpena, MI. Memorials in Julie’s honor can be made to Friends Together, Alpena, MI. or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A.E. Ross Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be registered at www.aerossfuneralhome.com