Her career in early child development started as a teacher for Fremont’s Sisters of the Holy Family, of which she was a community member for 29 years. Julie became the CDR-VC executive director in 1991.An officer of the Child Development Policy Institute in Sacramento, Julie was also a Ventura First 5 commissioner and the chair of the Community’s Ventura County Preschool for All Implementation Committee. She also served on numerous other boards and commissions.Before joining CDR-VC, Julie worked for the Community Development Council of Santa Clara County, was project coordinator for the California Child Care Health Project at the San Diego State University Foundation, and taught preschool administration at a community college.A noted gardener, Julie had an extensive collection of Venetian glass that she took pride in sharing with her friends. She also included traveling – Julie visited Mexico with close friends in recent months – and cooking among her passions. Julie enjoyed people and was a warm, caring friend to all.Julie is survived by her mother, Veronica MacMillan; brother, Tim (Mary) Irving; sister Jane (Todd) Broome; sister, Margi (Tim) Kavanaugh; nieces and nephews, cousins, and many close and dear friends. Julie was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth Irving, and grandparents, Theresa and Charles Davalos and Bessie and August Alunno.Memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 12, at St. Sebastian’s Church in Santa Paula. The family requests that donations be made in Julie’s name to “Have a Heart for Kids” c/o CDR-VC, 211 Ventura Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93036, or a charity of your choice.
CDR-VC Exec. Director: Community activist Julie Irving dies
February 09, 2005
Santa Paula News
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By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula TimesAlthough she never had a child of her own, Julie Irving of Santa Paula actually had thousands of children that she cared about and helped care for as the executive director of Child Development Resources of Ventura County, Inc. Julie, 57, died unexpectedly at Community Memorial Hospital on Thursday, February 3, after a brief illness. Julie had been hospitalized since Monday, and was surrounded by family and close friends when she passed away Thursday morning.“She was a very dear friend to me, truly a part of my family,” said her close friend Arthur Pulido, who met Julie was she was looking for a home in Santa Paula. “Julie absolutely loved Santa Paula; she was thrilled to be living here and was so pleased to have chosen Santa Paula for her home… she made good friends, was involved in the community and was very happy with her life where it was.”Julie was “Just a remarkable person,” said friend David Luna. “She was just marvelous, and so devoted to kids and their welfare.”“I admired and respected Julie’s value-based approach to problem solving and management,” said Mayor Mary Ann Krause. “She cared a lot about people, especially her own employees. She believed that her agency could accomplish its best work only if it treated its employees with respect. Julie brought those values to her work on the Police Audit Oversight and Implementation committees. I will miss her personal counsel, as well as her friendship.”As the leader of the nonprofit CDR-VC, Julie, a strong advocate of children, oversaw numerous programs that ensured the care and nurturing of same, including Head Start. Although the agency was particularly known for its resources for children from low-income families, it also offered services to all parents regardless of income.“Julie brought to the table wonderful organizational skills,” said her friend, Marisue Eastlake, who served with Julie on the Santa Paula Police Department Management Audit Oversight Committee and the later Implementation Committee.Born June 8, 1947, Julie grew up in San Jose and earned her BA in Religious Studies from Holy Family College in Freemont. Julie earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from San Jose State University.
