Julie Hughes Callihan

Julie Hughes Callihan was born in Natchitoches, Louisiana on May 8, 1946. The oldest of three girls, she was raised as a product of both town and country. She would hunt with her dad in the mornings, set the table in the evenings, paint away an afternoon and fall off a horse the next. She was a child of piano keys and skinned knees. Collaborating with her sisters or scheming with her cousins, she always found ways to push the boundaries of proper southern etiquette. She was the kind of girl to wear tennis shoes to her debutante and sneak a nip of whiskey with the cooks. She was instilled with a strong sense of family and place that would never leave her and that would eventually call her back home.

In her 20’s, she left for New York City and saw the world as an airline stewardess, before briefly landing in New Orleans where she dined and danced with her Aunt Bebe. She later moved to Baton Rouge, where she met her husband on a blind date and immediately fell in love. There, over the next forty years, she would rear a family, start a successful real estate brokerage and property management company, and serve as Executrix of the John S. McIlhenny estate. 

She was the quintessential working mother. Upon entering her home, one would never guess that she had any occupation other than raising her two boys. Even well into their 40’s, her nurturing and mothering never ceased. They were her world. 

She was also the ultimate preservationist – a ferocious taker of notes and keeper of records, both big and small. She was a passionate genealogist, tracing her ancestry multiple generations beyond the founding of Natchitoches. In her home, there is not a Bible, address or notebook that is not filled with paper-clipped mementos of letters, private prayers, and pictures. 

After retiring to her “Camp Salubrity” on Cane River, Julie followed in her great grandmother Sudie’s footsteps, becoming active in the community. She held a number of board positions with the Briarwood Caroline Dorman Nature Preserve and led their fund-raising efforts over the years. She was also an active member with the Daughters of the American Revolution. But anyone close to her knew that her favorite pastime was enjoying an evening glass of wine on Cane River, thinking of her family and contemplating a life well-lived. 

Through it all, she was a woman that exuded deep spirituality, grace, and a stiff upper lip – the same qualities that she imbued in her sons. She spent her final months under the loving care of her two boys and their families, and her sister-in-law Cathy. She passed away peacefully in New Orleans on December 19, 2024. 

Julie was preceded in death by her parents, Edmond Prudhomme and Martha Lawton Hughes, and her sister Jill. She is survived by her loving husband of over 50 years, William Henry Callihan, their sons William Edmond, his wife Courtney and their daughter Elliot, and Lawton Cole and his fiancée, Hannah Schumacher; by her step-daughter Kristen and her two children Taylor and Michael; and by her sister Marti Bailey, her husband David and their daughter Brianna.

Services will take place at 12:00 pm, on January 3, 2025, at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home, Natchitoches, LA, with visitation at 11. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider donating to Briarwood in her name, at the Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve, 107 Broadmoor Shopping Center, Natchitoches, LA 71457.