Julia Mabie

Julia Mabie, 96, of Punta Gorda, FL, formerly of Petersburg, Del and Hicksville, NY died Monday, June 3, 2013 at Life Care Center. She was first generation having been born in 1916 to immigrant parents and survived the 1918-19 pandemic which claimed the lives of her two oldest sisters. She rode a horse car to school in Queens, NY where she learned to speak English. In 1939 she married her husband Floyd "Mickey" Mabie. They moved to New Jersey where their first two children were born. She joined the North Arlington United Methodist Church, New Jersey and was active in the Women's Society. After WWII they moved to Hicksville, NY and were one of the founding families when the Parkway Community Church was organized and built two blocks from their home. The last of her three children would be born there. She joined the rush of married women into the workforce and worked evenings as a keypunch operator, and when the opportunity arose, she changed her employment to driving a full size school bus. This was not considered a woman's job in the early 60's. She drove for the Students Bus Transportation bus company for 15 years. During this time she was also extremely active in her church. Julia and her husband retired and relocated to Delaware and she once again drove school buses and was employed by the Dawson Bus company for 26 years. She joined the Woodside United Methodist Church and once again was very active in Church activities. She organized the Ugli Quilt group which made quilts for the homeless. The group was inducted into the Order of St. Barnabas. When she was 85 she decided it was no longer fun to drive a bus and retired, relocating to her son's home in Punta Gorda. She joined the Charlotte Harbor Trinity United Methodist Church and once again became active in church life. She leaves to cherish her memory her son, Charles (Linda) Mabie of Punta Gorda; daughter Cathy Ann (Jay) Dilmore of Felton, DE; six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Anna Placek; her husband of 41 years, Floyd; daughter, Margaret Breare; sisters, Ludmilla Placek, Louisa Placed, Anna Hohorst and Emily Somelofski. A celebration of Julia's life will be at 11:00 am, Saturday, June 15, 2013 at Charlotte Harbor Trinity United Methodist Church. Inurnment will be in Maple Gove Cemetery, Hackensack, NJ.