Mary Julia Keadle-Van Horn's Obituary
Surrounded by family, Mary Julia Keadle-Van Horn (82) passed away peacefully in her home on December 7, 2016. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Johnson, her first husband, James R. Keadle, her second husband, Allen Van Horn, and her brother, Frank J. Costantini. She is survived by her brother Edward Costantini (Diane), her grandson, John K. Johnson II, and four nieces: Teresa Smalls, Janet Brown, Marion Costantini, and Marie Broling.
Julia was born on May 4, 1934 to Sante Costantini and Rosa Martin of Crumpler, West Virginia. She was the oldest of three children. She graduated from Northfork High School, then earned a B.S. degree in Music Education, and a Masters in Reading and Elementary Education from West Virginia College of Graduate Studies. While in West Virginia, she taught at the Federal Reformatory for Women in Alderson, the institution now known as “Camp Cupcake” due to its most notable inmate, Martha Stewart.
Julia played violin from the age of eight, and had a lifelong love of music. She was a former member of the Music Educators National Conference and the Bluefield Symphony Orchestra, was Band Director at Greenbriar High School, was Choir Director at Lewisburg Methodist Church, and most recently, played for nine years with the Pinellas Park Community Orchestra.
She came to St. Petersburg in 1958 by way of Sarasota with her first husband, James R. Keadle. A former member of the Alpha Phi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, a women’s educational honor society, Julia taught reading in the Pinellas County School System from 1959-1990. Even in retirement, she continued her passion for education, volunteering at Westgate Elementary, where her daughter taught second grade, and working as an aide in the Pinellas County School System for six years. She also volunteered for the St. Petersburg Police Department for 15 years.
She spent the last several years of her life in Carrollwood with her second husband, Allen Van Horn. Blessed with many friends, Julia led an active social life, travelled, and was a member of Northdale Lutheran Church.
She is in our hearts forever, and will be fondly remembered for her fortitude, intellect, musical passion, commitment to education and service, and her laughter.
We would like to thank her wonderful neighbors, Visiting Angels, and LifePath Hospice for their care and compassion during her final days, thereby fulfilling her desire to remain at home in comfort.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 17, 2016 at 10 a.m. at Northdale Lutheran Church, 15709 Mapledale Blvd, Tampa. Following the memorial, there will be a committal service at 12 p.m. at Memorial Park, 5750 49th St. N., St. Petersburg. Those wishing to send flowers should send them to the church.
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