‘Great patriot’: Ocala Navy veteran of Vietnam remembered for community service

Andy Fillmore  |  For the Star-Banner

Wilbur Frances Julius – a husband, a father, and a man well known for his tireless service to fellow veterans – has died from complications of COVID-19. He was 84.

Julius was hospitalized several weeks ago after suffering weakness and labored breathing. He succumbed to the effects of pneumonia.

“Wilbur Julius was a great patriot and he loved to honor veterans,” said former Ocala Police chief and retired Army major Morrey Deen, who volunteered along with Julius at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park.

Deen said Julius volunteered for the Marion County Honor Flight, which provided a number of local World War II veterans a chance to fly to Washington, D.C., to visit the World War II Memorial.

“He was a good person to work with and he put all veterans first,” Deen said.

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Julius was married to Vernita (Willoughby) Julius for 62 years and the couple have two adult children, Francine Julius-Edwards and Russell Julius; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. 

Julius-Edwards said the family took COVID-19 precautions very seriously and she took all CDC-suggested guidelines to help protect her parents.

“There’s no such thing as too careful,” she said. 

The family has not pinpointed when or where her father might have contracted the virus.

Julius-Edwards, who works with the office of Florida state Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, said her father had a COVID-19 vaccination appointment for Feb. 20 but he had already contracted COVID-19 by Feb. 12. 

She said her father could not get an appointment before then. 

A veteran who honored veterans

Wilbur Julius was a Vietnam War veteran with 22 years of service in the U.S  Navy. He served as a member of the board of trustees of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church of Ocala, was past president of the Marion County Veterans Council, and was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He also served as a coach and official for Special Olympics for at least 22 years.

Julius served in various volunteer roles at the veterans park, including moderator and primary organizer of the quarterly memorial ceremonies for about 10 years. At these ceremonies, Marion County veterans who died in the previous quarter are honored. An honor guard serves and a bell is run in the veterans’ honor.

“Honoring veterans was very important to my father,” said Francine Julius-Edwards. 

She said younger members of her family have learned about veterans service by attending the events. 

Jeffrey Askew, director of the Marion County Veteran Service Office, said Julius’ volunteerism was “instrumental” in operation of the park, and he recalled how eager Julius always was to help others.

A decorated Navy man

Wilbur Julius was born on Feb. 9, 1937, in Montclair, New Jersey, to Herbert and Fannie Kaye Julius. Herbert was a postal worker and musician and Fannie Kaye was a homemaker.

Julius went to high school in Montclair, where he met his future wife, Vernita. He joined the Navy in 1956 and served as a hydraulics engineer on several aircraft carriers. 

According to the Marion County Veterans Service Office, Julius is the recipient of the National Defense and Vietnam Service Medals, three Vietnam War Campaign Ribbons and six Good Conduct Medals. Records indicate he served on the USS Forrestal off the coast of Vietnam.

He retired in 1977 and achieved the rank of chief petty officer. 

“My dad was the first black hydraulics engineer on the (aircraft carrier) USS America,” Francine Julius-Edwards said. 

She said soon after his military service, her father started a 20-year career with Sikorsky Aircraft, which is based in Connecticut, before relocating to Florida in 1997.

An ‘old-school’ approach

Ron Oppinger, chairman of the park volunteer and support group, Friends of Marion County’s Veterans Park, said Julius was “old school” and always did what he said he would do.

“He never spoke negatively of anything and always had something positive to say,” Oppinger said.

Julius-Edwards said her father was in the Amateur Athletic Union and coached track and field.

Beau Doherty, president of Special Olympics Connecticut, recalled Julius as a “great guy” and supplied a copy of a July 6, 2006, Star Banner/Free Press article that noted Julius’ trip that year from Marion County to the Special Olympics National Games in Ames, Iowa, where he served as a track and field official. 

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The article states Julius became involved with Special Olympics when the World Games were held in New Haven in 1995 and Sikorsky Aviation helped with the games. 

Art Bjork of Marion County, who also served as an official in the 2006 National Games, praised Julius’ work with the organization.

“He’s done so much for the Special Olympics here in Marion County. He’s got a real passion for it, and he’s always willing to put in the time and effort,” Bjork, then an area program director, is quoted as saying in the article.

In a phone interview Friday, Bjork recalled Julius’ long service with Special Olympics here, calling it “legendary.” 

He was a “true inspiration,” Bjork said.

Julius-Edwards said she met Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver while her father was volunteering in Connecticut.

John Robles, a community engagement agent with Special Olympics Florida, said records show Julius volunteered for Marion County Special Olympics from 2005 to 2017 and coached track and field, bowling and basketball. 

Edmond Fordham, a fellow member of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church and VFW Brady-Owens Post 7193, served as chairman of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church board of trustees from 1990 to 2012.

He recalled that Julius “would volunteer for anything we wanted done.”

“I had to slow him down,” Fordham said.

Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park volunteer and Vietnam War veteran Lewis Alston said he enjoyed talking with Julius, whom he recalled as a man who would “give it to him straight.”

Bruce Lamoureux, a park volunteer who recently filled Julius’ role as moderator and organizer of the quarterly memorial, said his predecessor was “good natured.” As fellow Vietnam War veterans involved in naval aviation, they shared many conversations.

“We miss him,” he said. 

Remembering Wilbur Julius

A memorial will be held in the next few weeks at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. Details are pending. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Brady-Owens VFW Post 7193, P O Box 6413, Ocala, FL 34478-6413; or Estella Byrd Whitman Wellness Center, 819 NW 7th St., Ocala, FL 34475. (875-2226, ebwwcrc@gmail.com and https://estellawellness.com/about/)