Julia Ann Hamous

Julia Ann (Wangle) Hamous, age 77, of Amarillo, TX passed away on September 11, 2025 due to complications from Urachal Adenocarcinoma cancer. A celebration of Life will be held on November 29 from 10 A.M. to 12 P.M. at “In This Moment” in Amarillo, TX. The family asks that you wear bright clothes. Donations in remembrance of Julia can be made to the Amarillo Ronald McDonald House at https://www.rmhcofamarillo.org/donate/. We will also have a box for donations at the celebration of life.

Julia was born June 6, 1948 in Columbus, GA, the daughter of John and Inez Wangle (Walters). Julia graduated from Columbus Highschool in 1966 where she was very involved in the band and played the clarinet.

Julia gave birth to her first two children (Michelle and Joshua) in 1967 and 1969. In 1971, Julia met the love of her life, James (Hap) Hamous in Columbus, GA while Julia was working for the pathology department at St. Francis Hospital. Hap asked her to go with him to an office party and Julia accepted thinking it was the other man that they worked with (having mixed their names up). Luckily, it was the actual Hap that picked her up. At some point during the party, Julia could not find Hap or the kids and ended up finding him playing with them and feeding them cake in the kitchen. She remembered Hap saying at the end of that night that they would be married by Christmas. They married December 11, 1971. Hap adopted Michelle and Joshua and he and Julia raised them together. They enjoyed adventuring around Georgia with the kids and with Julia’s parents but ended up moving to Omaha, NE in 1973 for Hap to finish college and then pursue medical school. The same year that Hap was accepted into Medical school, they welcomed their third child (Amy) in 1975. Julia ran a daycare out of their home in Omaha for 4 years until they moved to Iowa city in 1979. Julia found her calling and favorite job running the Learning Center in the department of pathology at the University of Iowa. While at the University of Iowa she also took a few college courses where she especially loved the courses in nature like botany. In 1983, Julia and Hap moved the family to Amarillo, TX where they would call home for the next 40 years.

In Amarillo, Julia opened her monogramming and gift shop “The Namesake” that she owned and operated. After it closed, Julia then became a professional grandma and dedicated the rest of her life to helping others. She volunteered with many different organizations around Amarillo throughout the years including Meals for Wheels, the Evelyn River’s Coat Drive, Snack Pack for Kids, Habitat for Humanity, and the Ronald McDonald House. She also supported other non-profits like the 101 elite men of Amarillo.

In 1992, Julia and Hap welcomed their first grandchild which later became 11 total. In 2003, Julia and Hap started raising 3 of their grandchildren. Julia, dedicating her life to helping others became immersed in her grandchildren’s lives by volunteering at the school as a home room mom and assisting with events. She won volunteer of the year at De Zavala one year in particular. One of her favorite things was to watch the grandkids compete in sports. She spent a lot of her time with her grandkids, including flying to Houston to visit and taking vacations with them.

The last years of Julia’s life were spent volunteering, taking care of her mother and stepfather and traveling with her husband. They travelled all around the world from in the states like Colorado, New Mexico and Tennessee to Mexico, Italy, France, England, and Belgium. Her happy place was sitting by the pool in Cabo San Lucas.

Julia is survived by her Husband Hap (James) Hamous; Mother, Inez Allen; Brother, Micheal Wangle; Son, Joshua (wife Jamie) Hamous; Daughters, Michelle Peckham and Amy Wilkes; Grandchildren, Lexi (husband Tyler) Miller, Sam (wife Sierra) Hamous, James Reid Lusk, Konner (wife Meagan) Hamous, Brayden Hamous, Grayson Hamous, Jana Hamous, Cassidy Monette, Kori Wilkes, Kayla Wilkes and Kaleb Wilkes; Step Brother, Wesley Allen Jr.; Step Sister, Maureen Irvine; Sister in Laws, Kaylyn (Dick) McBride and Pat Miller.

Julia was preceded in death by her father, John Wangle; stepfather, Wesley Allen; and brother-in-law, Jim Miller.