Julia was born on December 15, 1925 to Thomas and Mary (Villa) Polidor, parents she admired and loved. They were the foundation for her life story. It was from them she learned family values and an appreciation for her Italian heritage.
Her greatest joy was family, and she was happiest when her family gathered around a table for food and conversation. Any friend or family member will attest to the pleasure she derived from making food for others. On April 16, 1950 Julia married Richard Hallenbeck, also a Hudson native.
Together, they built a home on Worth Avenue in Hudson and raised a daughter and a son. Julia continued to live in that home until 2021. It was her place of comfort.
Her willfulness could land her in predicaments, but her fierce independence and the support of family, friends, and neighbors allowed her to live in that home for over three decades after her husband's death. Julia was a graduate of Hudson High School and Austin Beauty School. For most of her life, she worked as a beautician.
Even during her recent hospital stays she was offering advice to nurses, female and male alike, about how to style their hair. Julia was both creative and artistic. These qualities served her well as a beautician, and also later when she worked at the Rosary Flower Shop in Hudson.
The appreciation of customers who admired these qualities brought her immense satisfaction and pride. In both careers, she formed lifelong friendships that she treasured dearly. Throughout her life she was a walker.
She attributed her long life to daily walks, a practice that began when she was a young girl. Those on Warren Street in Hudson grew accustomed to seeing her on her frequent trips to the variety of merchants that lined the street. She almost always made new friends along the way.
Julia is survived by her son, Ed Hallenbeck (Ann Myers) of Rensselaer, New York, as well as her son-in-law, Jim Karic of Claverack, New York. She often said that Ann and Jim were like a daughter and son to her. She is also survived by her granddaughter, Alexa Olmsted (Kyle) and two great-grandchildren, Grayson and Maddison Olmsted.
In addition, Julia leaves behind several nieces and nephews, cousins, other relatives, and a host of friends. Besides her parents and her devoted husband, she was predeceased by her precious daughter, Patricia Karic, her always supportive brother, Lou Polidor, and a long list of other family members and friends whose memories she cherished. Family and friends who remain will miss her phone calls and visits, her refined shopping skills, her expression of love through cooking, her ability to make people laugh, her stories of the past, her expressions of kindness, and her courage and resiliency.
We take comfort in the thought that she is reunited with her husband, her daughter, and other loved ones who have gone before her. She is probably now preparing an Italian feast for all of them. The family wishes to extend their appreciation to Kathleen Marici, M.
D., for the exquisite professionalism and love with which she and her staff supported Julia for years. The family is also appreciative of the staff and residents at Peregrine Delmar Place Assisted Living.
They welcomed Julia warmly into an active community where she surprised herself by finding new friends. It was there she discovered that the help of caring professionals, and the embrace of fellow residents, could make aging easier. Her relationship with staff at Shaker Place was formed over several years as various medical events required rehabilitation services.
She believed they worked miracles and kept her going. It was clear that when she needed skilled nursing there was only one place she would want to be. During the last two months of her life, she benefitted from the care, open hearts, and compassion of the Shaker Place staff.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 31st at 11:00 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Parish (formerly St.
Mary's Church), 429 East Allen Street, Hudson, New York. An hour of visitation at the church, starting at 10:00 a.m.
, will be held to allow family and friends time to pay their respects and share their memories of Julia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Condolences may be left on Julia's online guest book at batesanderson.com ..
