Julie (Hassenflug) Daniels

1977 - 2023

Julie (Hassenflug) Daniels
Edwardsville - On July 28,1977, a baby girl was born to David & Kathy (Hill) Hassenflug. They named her Julie Ann. She joined her brother, Jeffrey, who was 2. They lived in Edwardsville, where Julie attended N.O Nelson and Edwardsville Junior and Senior High Schools, graduating in 1995. She enjoyed playing flute, singing in choir, participating in theatre, being active in church groups, going on mission trips, eating queso and chips, and spending time with friends. Julie made friends wherever she went, and those friends tended to become lifelong, as many of you reading this can attest.
Julie kept building her friend list at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, graduating with a BA in English in 1998. During her college years she traveled to Guatemala several times where she became fluent in Spanish and volunteered in an orphanage. Julie understood that a basic rule for a happy life is to never pass up an opportunity to hold babies, knowledge clearly passed down by her mom.
She met James Daniels in Oklahoma after college, and they were married and had two boys while living in Arizona. Benjamin James and Jeffrey Michael were her joy. The family moved back to Edwardsville, where they reconnected with old friends and found new ones. Julie and James divorced and managed to make co-parenting look easy.
Julie worked many years for Intuit. She loved her job teaching others and learning everything about taxes. She occasionally taught them about proper grammar too, but they loved her anyway.
Julie married Ken Cheney in 2016 and they combined families, so she now had four children to love and nurture. She liked to refer to Grace and Henry as her "bonus kids," and the family of 6 moved to St. Louis in 2016.
In April 2022 Julie was diagnosed with glioblastoma, which is unfortunately the kind of cancer that makes someone agree to brain surgery immediately. She received treatment during the following year like a hero. Friends and family called her Wonder Woman, and she more than earned the title. When asked if there was anything she needed or what people could do to help, she responded that she'd like for everyone to spend more time with their loved ones, and that they should also probably eat more vegetables, "because you know, that's always good advice."
In April 2023, Julie entered hospice at home, and she passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on April 12. Julie was preceded in death by her father, David Hassenflug and her grandparents. She is survived by her husband, Ken, her children, Ben (17), Jeff (15), Grace (23), and Henry (19), her brother, Jeffrey Hassenflug, and her mother, Kathy Hassenflug.
A Celebration of Life memorial will be held Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 2-4 pm at St John's United Methodist Church, 7372 Marine Road in Edwardsville. The service will be followed by time for visiting with each other as we share in the joy of having had Julie in our lives and the sadness of missing her.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Glioblastoma Foundation (glioblastomafoundation.org) would be appreciated.