Juliette Norton Willis

Juliette Norton Willis, 80 left this world on January 22, 2025 with her husband at her side. She had been dealing for a very long time with major head injury from a fall that occurred in May of 2021.
Juliette was the daughter of Hubert T. Willis and Constance Clark Willis. She grew up in Louisville and shared summers in Amagansett, N.Y., with her sisters and cousins.
After attending The Rogers Clark Ballard School on Lime Kiln Lane through 3rd grade, she went to Collegiate School, graduating in 1962.
At Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, Juliette learned jewelry design, silversmithing, metal fabrication and casting, working in silver, gold, and other precious metals. She won various awards for her designs and finished pieces and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1966.
Returning to Louisville in 1973 she began her 40-year career as jeweler and designer at Brown Waterhouse Kaiser and eventually became the company's owner. She was well known for making beautiful and unique engagement and wedding rings, for designing many other notably clever jewelry items, and for repurposing antique family jewelry into newly stylish pieces.
Outside her professional work Juliette was forever designing or modifying other non-jewelry items with her own unique ideas about function and usefulness. Sewing was a hobby since childhood. She often made or remade clothing or household fabric items for a new look or use. She had a bear since 1946 she named Joseph who was always with her. Every few years she would make him a new suit of clothes. He also had different sweaters and outfits to wear throughout the year.
Juliette's life was as interesting as her interests were wide. She earned a private pilot's license, and learned to speak and read Japanese and to write Kanji.
Etymology was a great interest of hers, so upon a rare encounter with a word unknown to her she'd research and store its meaning in a special file. She also planted her gardens with beautiful flowers and shrubs, and added trees named after friends. Cooking wasn't one of her main pastimes, but she made it interesting by making it "different". For example, once she made the entire dinner party meal out of soybeans, even soy bean ice cream.
Juliette toured with her husband in his vintage automobile to many European countries and even to New Zealand. At home in Louisville she loved the Chris Craft cruiser, Out-Of-Pocket, that her father gave her in the late 1980's She frequently took friends out for afternoon cruises and on Sunday mornings. She called it "Boat Church".
Juliette dearly loved the cats who came to live with her: Crowbar, Rorschach, Amazing Grace, Argentina, Savannah, Tumbleweed and Alouette. She made a second-floor cat window for them and trained them to walk up a board attached to a fence, across a walkway to the second story, up one roof, down another onto a flat roof where they could enter the second floor bedroom.
Juliette had been on the boards of The Safe Place and of The Louisville Visual Arts Association. She had volunteered at Fabulous Finds which benefited Heuser Hearing, Purr-Fect Treasures, a thrift store benefiting The Animal Protection Association, and at Candy For Caring where profits go to local charities.
Juliette lived her life marching to her own beat, doing things her own way, uninfluenced by or conforming to others expectations. She was always independent and comfortable following her own unique path.
She leaves behind her husband, George W. Davidson who will miss her and loved her immensely, and her sisters Anne Noonan(Ron) of Amagansett, NY, and Elizabeth Thomson (Jim) of Natick, MA, her sister-in-law Pattie Davidson, brother-in law-Fred Davidson(Pat) both of Louisville, many nieces and nephews, and also her devoted friend whom she considered like a sister, Nancy Bickel Tafel.
Juliette's family is grateful for the caregiving by Elaine Hall and Liz Chappell.
Funeral service will be held 1pm Monday, January 27, 2025 at Pearson's, 149 Breckenridge Lane, with burial to follow at Cave Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be 11am-1pm Monday, prior to the service at the funeral home.
Expressions of sympathy can be made to Friends of Metro Animal Services, Louisville Botanical Gardens or a charity of your choice.
Arrangements under the direction of Pearson's
"Where Louisville Goes to Remember"