Julia Maria Serrano

Julia Serrano passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s on October 18, 2026, at Lemay Avenue Health & Rehab in Fort Collins, where she had resided in the memory care unit since June 2024.

She was born in Ponce, PR, the youngest of 5 children. She was doted on by her sister Josefina (who was like a second mother) and her 3 older brothers, Enrique, Rafael, and William. She was always petite, so when she went to school to start 1st grade, the sisters looked at her and said she was too little, they sent her home in tears to come back next year (her mom, Carmen, set the sisters straight and got her in). As an adult, she was 10 feet of person in a 5 foot body. She was always kind and giving of herself. She had a silly streak and was well known to us for her many “dichos” and quirky sayings. But she was also tough and never lost the air of command she gained by serving 10 years in the Air Force.

After graduating from high school in Ponce, Puerto Rico, she studied nursing at the Bayamon District Hospital, earning her RN in 1955. She wanted to get off the island and see the world, so she joined the US Air Force, serving from 1955-1966, including in Montgomery, Alabama, Athens, Greece, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roswell, New Mexico, and Dayton, Ohio. In Roswell, she met Arturo Serrano and they were married at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio in 1964. They had one daughter, Monica (Mike) and 3 grandchildren (Benjamin, Dominique, Gabriel). Arturo passed away in 2024, after almost 60 years of devoted marriage.

She lived a life of service, in her career and in all her interactions. She was always there to listen and offer counsel, to her family, friends and associates. She was humble, never putting herself forward. After her time in the Air Force, where she was certified as a flight nurse, she used her GI bill benefits to earn a BA in sociology at Wright State University. She later also earned a BS in education through St. Joseph’s College (Standish, Maine). In her civilian career she worked as a nurse supervisor in mental health, a case worker for children’s services, as health services administrator for the Dayton Job Corps, occupational health nurse and clinic manager for USPHS Clinic at the Federal Building, Dayton, Ohio, occupational health nurse educator in environmental health at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and then at Defense Electronics Service Center, Dayton, Ohio. She retired from the US Civil Service in 1996.

Community activities included membership in the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Webb County Heritage Foundation, Sigma Delta Pi Honor Society, Wright State University Alumni Association, Puerto Rican Cultural Society, International Women’s Club, National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Knights of Columbus Council 7399 Auxiliary, and volunteer with the St. Catherine’s Catholic Church Hispanic Ministry.

All of her accomplishments cannot sum up her life, her person. She never welcomed a guest without offering them a treat (which her grandchildren greatly appreciated). She loved her pets and was always feeding “the little animals” which was welcome to all of the neighborhood birds, squirrels, racoons and any other critters she could find. She loved roses, African violets, geraniums, always cultivating them wherever she lived. In life she would say “Adelante mientras el cuerpo aguante.” And so she pressed on for her 92 years. She is always loved, dearly missed. “Que en paz descanse!”