Juline "Julie" Marie Leal, 67, of Great Falls, Montana, passed away Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Benefis Healthcare in Great Falls.
Julie was born in the Memorial Hospital of Stanislaus County in Modesto, California to Mary K. Luz and Edward F. Leal. She was preceded in death by her father, Edward (15 January 1933-26 December 1990). She is survived by her Mother, Mary and her two sisters, Kathy and Debbie.
Julie was a good baby; easy to care for and she slept a lot. Even as a baby, she loved the outdoors.
She loved camping, hiking and riding horses. She learned all she could about the national parks. Yosemite and Yellowstone were her favorites.
Julie graduated from Downey High School and received her Bachelors degree from Cal State Berkley.
She received teaching certification from Chapman College.
She taught school for a short time, but decided she wanted to expand her knowledge of Yellowstone National Park. She spent several years working in and near the park. She did an in-depth study of the park's history. She saw it as more than a national park. She called it "wonderland." She found work in the town of West Yellowstone and worked there until she had a stroke in December, 2018.
Julie survived the stroke, but she was left physically and mentally impaired. She worked hard to overcome the physical limitations and was soon able to accomplish all activities of daily living. She spent hours working on improving her language skills. While she never completely overcame the aphasia, but she learned to communicate effectively.
Prior to her stroke, Julie put in many hours at the town family services facility's food bank. Kathi Arnado, the family services director, became a close friend and a soul sister. Kathi was a strong advocate for Julie and miraculously found a waiver program for Julie after her stroke. Julie was able to get into the Bootstrap Ranch assisted living facility in Belgrade, Montana. When Bootstrap Ranch closed due to staffing problems, she moved to Beehive Homes assisted living in Great Falls, Montana, until she passed.
If you had to describe Julie with one word, it would be "gratitude." She was strong-willed, assertive, and very intelligent, but she always expressed gratitude for the help she received from others, no matter their station in life. She read her scriptures daily and often expressed her gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice for all mankind.
Julie never gave up on life. She accepted her many trials as opportunities to grow. When faced with adversity, she would flash her beautiful smile and work to overcome and achieve her objective.
Julie will be cremated, and her ashes spread over Yellowstone National Park, where she will have eternal rest in her wonderland.
