Julia’s life as wife and mother had been quite normal until the night the Quinlans received a phone call at 2:00 am advising them that their daughter Karen Ann was in a coma. From that time forward, Julia has tirelessly dedicated herself to the hospice cause to ensure that the terminally ill had the care they needed. She and her husband, Joseph, formed the Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation in 1980, Center of Hope Hospice (now named Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice), a ten-patient residence overlooking the vistas from the Waterwheel Farm in Fredon (2013) and the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center in Augusta, New Jersey, which includes palliative care. The mission of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice has remained constant: to provide a full continuum of high quality medical, emotional and spiritual services to hospice patients and their families. It does so regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.

Julia is well known locally and nationally and has spoken at conferences across the country on ethics, end-of-life care, hospice and the historic importance of the New Jersey Supreme Court landmark decision that parents’ right to make a private decision about their child’s fate supersedes the state’s right to keep a child alive.

During her 40+ years of involvement with hospice, Julia Quinlan has been a national speaker who has advanced the hospice philosophy and patient rights. She has received numerous awards for her advocacy on behalf of hospice including the prestigious Jefferson Award, which celebrates ordinary citizens who demonstrate extraordinary acts of public service, Russ Berrie Marking a Difference Award, Sussex County Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lifetime of Service Award by the Annual Boy Scouts Sussex County Tribute to Women. Julia is the co-author of “Karen Ann” (Doubleday, 1976), “My Joy, My Sorrow” (St. Anthony Messenger Press, July, 2005) and “Legacy of Love,” (2020).

Julia lives in Wantage with her beloved cat Nessie. Her daughter, MaryEllen Quinlan, is Chairman of the Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation, and her son, John Quinlan, is Director of the organization’s Foundation. Serving as CEO at age 96, Julia continues to play an active role in the Foundation and the Hospice.

When asked what keeps her going, Julia replied, “There’s still work to be done and families to be helped. I have plans to expand our services in Pennsylvania and add new programs to what we currently offer. And, I may still have another book to write.”