We want to thank you for taking the time to visit this site celebrating our much loved wife, mom, sister, grandmom, and cousin, and for joining us in remembering the life she led. We love her and miss her dearly. We want to invite anyone to share stories, photographs, or any other memories they may have of Julie, so that her family and any other visitors can enjoy them here. They do not need to be perfect—anything that helps us remember or learn more about our Mom would be hugely appreciated! Just click on "Stories" or "Gallery" above to contribute, or add any "Tribute" below. (If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this site, please email rees.f.morgan@gmail.com or j.chad.morgan1@gmail.com.)
Julia Ferriter (Cochran) Morgan (1942-2020) Julia Ferriter Morgan passed away peacefully on May 6th, 2020, after complications from a fall at home. A native Washingtonian, she was born Julia Cochran Ferriter on February 23rd, 1942, in Washington D.C. She was the beloved daughter of US Navy Capt John Baker Ferriter (USNA, Class of 1938) and Julia Ellen (Turner) Ferriter, the beloved older sister of Navy Captain Edward Chadwick (“Ted”) Ferriter and Kathryn Ellen (Ferriter) Kramer (1952-1978), and the beloved wife of William Herbert Morgan.
Julia was initially raised at 1906 Rhode Island Avenue NE, Washington D.C. as her father had been called away to serve as a Surface Warfare Officer (largely on Destroyers) in both theaters during World War II. Julie attended nearby John Burroughs Elementary School. She attended Washington and Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, spent her junior year in Newport, Rhode Island, and spent her senior year and graduated from Key West High School in Florida as a “conch.” She began her college education at American University, and graduated with a degree in Art from Old Dominion University. She enjoyed many wonderful years living in Washington D.C., Hawaii, and San Francisco (amongst other places), and ultimately settled in Arlington, Virginia with her husband of 48 years.
A lifelong artist and adventurer, Julie traveled the world and had wide experiences: teaching Art in Norfolk; deep sea fishing in Key West; a long—and at times audacious—camping trip from the mountains of Mexico to the lakes of Canada with her brother (during the trip she led her little brother into a holdup by Mexican “banditos” with shotguns); working at the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington D.C; and living with her husband on the beach of Kailua Bay in Hawaii, and in the beautiful, artistic city of San Francisco during its historic late-'60's period (where she was well known for driving her Triumph TR3 convertible at dizzying speeds and getting “Hollywood-style” air as she traversed the San Francisco hills). In her later years, Julie would say that she wasn't upset that she couldn't get around as she used to, because it was "fun to sit back and think about the times when she did it all."
Julie's primary professional passions were Fine Arts and teaching--her own artistic style being impressionist. Julie often said that of the many jobs she had, her favorite was raising her two sons--Rees Ferriter Morgan and John Chadwick Morgan, an attorney and a Marine. Julie raised her sons with a fierce love that could possibly be called "tough" love. She had a tremendously strong constitution, and the boys looked at her as the toughest person they knew. Fond of sports, if they ever received praise for toughness or strength on an athletic field together, they would reply: "we get it from our Mom." Julie ultimately battled a number of ailments—COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) being the most detrimental. But she never complained, never let any illness stop her from doing what she wanted to do, and to her very last day maintained the robust spirit that made her presence seem so large.
Julie was strong willed, was kind and caring to everyone she met, and had a profound, positive impact on everyone who came to know her. Socially, she loved parties, events, and get-togethers of any kind—whether a small gathering on the beaches of Hawaii or a big party she hosted on Wyoming Avenue in Northwest or Pierce Street in Arlington. She was an engaging conversationalist and the life of any party--often coercing everyone onto the dance floor until the early hours of the morning. She was an exceptional card player. She almost never lost, but also rarely missed a chance to bend a rule or two…particularly against her adoring (and unsuspecting) children or grandchildren. She had passions for games, food, fun, arts, parties, sports, travel, and water, but…above all else…family.
Julie was the matriarch of her clan. She will be dearly missed by all of her beloved family: her husband and sons, her wonderful daughter in law Katie Marie Cooper Morgan and grandchildren Claire Ellen Cooper Morgan and Jack Parker Morgan; her beloved brother and sister in law Patricia Laqua Ferriter, her nephews John Laqua Ferriter and his wife Stacy Davis Ferriter and their children Breckyn and Pierce, Edward “Andrew” Ferriter, his wife Kristin Davis Ferriter and their children Ivy and John Davis; her beloved cousins and lifelong friends Betsy Murphy Dyke and Barbara Murphy Horn, their wonderful children William Dabney, Colin Dyke, D. J. Horn, Teddy Dabney, Julie Dyke Johnston, and all of their wonderful families, and her brother in law Kim Kramer.
Julie’s artwork, her stories, and the echoes of her laughter will continue to fill her family’s homes for years to come. Her presence can never be replaced, but her family takes comfort in knowing that she is now reunited with her close-knit Ferriter family—her father, mother, and Ellen—as well as the beloved Murphy family, Conrad family, and all of the wonderful friends and family members she had the pleasure to know and to love. We also take comfort in knowing that she’s back to doing everything else she loved to do—sunning on the beach in front of the little cottage in Hawaii, wandering the hills of San Francisco, gallivanting the globe, and taking an occasional break to capture the incredible landscapes and people she came across along the way with her paintings and photographs.