Julia Bruce will always be remembered as someone who dedicated herself to improving her community and the lives of others. I will remember her too, not just for who she was but for what she was not. She was important to her community, but she was not full of “self-importance.” I would call her “unassuming.”

While I was the Director of the Williamson County Programs on Aging in Herrin, Mrs. Bruce, or Julia as she wanted everyone to call her, was a dedicated participant of the Center’s programs.

I first met her just after she had finished an aerobics class at the Herrin Senior Center. She was dressed in casual clothes just like all the other ladies participating in the class. If no one had told me that she was the “first matron” of Herrin I never would have guess it from the way she looked. She seemed to take pride in being just “one of the girls” at the Center.

Because she was able to financially help others, she did. I frequently heard stories about her generosity, but I rarely heard about them from the media. Mostly the stories I heard about her generosity were from people who had personally seen her help others get back on their feet when they were having financial difficulties.

I did ask Mrs. Bruce for one financial favor for the Herrin Senior Center. Our parking area was small and unpaved and I asked if she would help us with the cost to put down asphalt. She agreed to help us but she wanted the parking area to look nice and asked that we include trees to help “spruce it up a little.”

I believe she was more concerned with how the trees looked than taking credit for helping with the asphalt parking area. She constantly reminded me to have someone give the little trees a little more water so that they would grow strong and tall. I sent out my maintenance man every week that first summer to water “Julia’s trees” and make sure they all lived, which they all did. Julia’s trees have bloomed with pretty flowers each spring ever since.

She never mentioned it to me again, but I’m sure she was as proud of the trees as I was. Our parking area with its blooming trees made our building look more inviting, more like a home than a Center.

That’s how I will remember Mrs. Bruce; by her unassuming manner, by her inconspicuous generosity, and by her concern that her little trees be watered so they’d grow strong and tall.

Every spring when her trees bloom and every year as they grow a little taller I’ll remember her, because they were her idea ... they are Julia’s trees.

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