Julie Berlene Thompson Johnson was born on August 8, 1957, to Charles and Dianne Thompson in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. On September 5, 2024, surrounded by family, Julie passed away peacefully at her home in Reedsburg, Wisconsin after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Julie grew up in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin with her sister Elizabeth and was extremely close with her grandparents, visiting them often in Eau Claire and Hayward. As a young girl, she had a love of reading that she carried on throughout her life. She was always one to share a book and make a great recommendation. When her parents entered the restaurant business in 1962 with the purchase of Mr. Pancake, Julie got a first-hand look at owning and operating a business.  Eventually, she worked as a bus girl, then a waitress, and by age 16, was managing Mr. Pancake.  

Julie attended Wisconsin Dells High School, where she met the love of her life and best friend, Robert (Bob) Johnson, in her sophomore year of high school. She graduated in 1975 and only three years later, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. While in college, Julie used her passion for history to get the H.H. Bennet House in Wisconsin Dells added to the National Register of Historic Places. Her parents had purchased the home in 1976, saving it from being demolished, and together, they restored the house to the period it was built in 1863 and opened it for tours.

Bob and Julie married on December 30, 1977. After Bob finished pharmacy school, they moved to Delavan, Wisconsin, and in 1979, welcomed their first child, James Robert Johnson. Two years later, they moved closer to family and bought a home in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. They welcomed another son, Michael Timothy Johnson, in 1982 and a daughter, Catherine Elizabeth Johnson, in 1986.

After working in the restaurant business for 11 years, Julie and Bob entered the hotel business with her parents.  In just six months they built and opened the Carousel Inn and Suites in Wisconsin Dells. It was an eventful opening week for the hotel in June 1986, when all three of her children, ages 7, 3 ½, and 3 months got chicken pox. Julie and her family lived in an apartment above the front desk, where she handled all aspects of running the hotel—from housekeeping to the front desk—on top of being a devoted wife and mother. She did not leave the property for the first five weeks after opening. To say Julie had an incredible work ethic is an understatement.

In 1990, Julie and Bob, and Julie’s parents, built the Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center (formerly the Kennel Club). Over the next 34 years, Julie would oversee the expansion and growth of the Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center and served as general manager until she semi-retired in 2021 and eventually sold the hotel in May 2024. Julie served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor’s Bureau and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Inn Keepers Association. Julie was blessed with many wonderful employees who worked with her for over 30 years and became her extended family.

Julie also volunteered her time in service to causes she believed were important. She served on the Sacred Heart Church Finance Committee, as a member of the Board of Directors for Hope House of South-Central Wisconsin, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Friends of H.H. Bennett Studio.

Julie’s proudest accomplishment was being a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. Her family was always the most important. She was always the family problem solver; “Ask Julie” was a common refrain.  Julie provided an unending amount of love and support to her family and relished every minute she spent with them. She particularly loved being “Grandma Juju” to her six grandchildren, with whom she made wonderful memories that will be treasured forever – including summers spent at Lake Redstone and Christmases at her home in Reedsburg.

Julie is survived by her husband of 47 years, Robert Johnson of Reedsburg, Wisconsin; her son James Johnson, and his wife, Mahsa Johnson of McLean, Virginia, and their children, Graham, Naomi, and Connor; her son Michael Johnson and his wife, Gretchen Johnson of Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin and their children, Margaret, William, and Abigail; her daughter, Catherine Johnson of Washington, District of Columbia.; her sister Elizabeth Knoop and her husband, Thomas Knoop of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; and many other close relatives.

Julie was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Dianne Thompson, and her in-laws, Kermit and Rosemary Johnson.

A visitation for Julie will be held at her home at S2937 Birdie Court Reedsburg, Wisconsin on Thursday, September 12, 2024, from 4:30 to 7:30 PM. The Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, September 13, 2024, at 10:00 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Please note there will be no visitation at the church before the Funeral Mass. Following Mass the interment will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

Farber Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. If you would like to make a donation in Julie’s memory, please donate to either the Melanoma Research Alliance (www.curemelanoma.org) or the Sacred Heart School Endowment.