Julie Anderson Rakestraw

Julie Anderson Rakestraw, 61, of Washington Crossing, PA, lost her three year battle with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) on January 21, 2025 with her loving husband by her side.

Born Julie Kay Anderson on September 27, 1963 in Olean, New York to William C. and Kay (Markert) Anderson, she was a 1981 graduate of Portville Central School. Her intellect and ambition led her first to Lehigh University to study chemical engineering, and then to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to earn her PhD. Over a 30-year career at DuPont, she managed R&D and business teams in both polymer applications and international trade law. Julie retired in 2019 and had just begun to enjoy the "calendar-free life" when COVID, followed by a brain cancer diagnosis, forced her to make other plans.

Although her brain certainly played a role in her story, those who knew her will remember her for her heart.

At MIT, she met both lifelong friends and her husband Scott, with whom she would share a wonderful 35 years of marriage. As a mother, Julie excelled: her unconditional love and support extended beyond daughter Stephanie and son Alex to their friends as well. Whenever a carpool needed a driver or a swim team needed macaroni and cheese for 100 people, Julie Rakestraw answered the call with a smile.

Her radiating love, genuine hospitality, and embrace of life made spending time with Julie a privilege. Holidays meant gratuitous spreads and weeks worth of leftovers. Birthdays and special occasions were never missed, and preceded with handwritten cards. When COVID struck, she ordered some books, adopted Tony the cat, and picked up a pair of birdwatching binoculars (for her, not Tony). And when the family moved away from Delaware in 2000, she became the original "hybrid worker" supported by DuPont senior management and an extensive professional network.

On the night in 1986 that Bill Buckner let the ball go between his legs, Scott and his Boston roommates were taking down decorations for a now-cancelled "Red Sox Win" party when they heard a knock at the door. It was Julie. In the era before cell phones, she knew how lonely that night must have been and wanted to be there. She showed her love through her presence, and it is her presence that we will all miss the most.

Julie is survived by her husband Scott of Washington Crossing, PA, children Dr. Stephanie Rakestraw of Birmingham, AL and Alex Rakestraw of Stanford, CA, mother Kay Anderson of Portville, NY, sister Cindy (Dan) Hinz of Portville, NY, and brothers Eric (Jennifer) Anderson of Mesa, AZ and Ronald (Tamara) Anderson of North Ogden, UT and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her father in 2018.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to cat-friendly organizations so more cats like Tony can find homes as loving as Julie's [Forgotten Cats: https://forgottencats.org] or to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology [https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home]. At Julie's request, there will be no public service.