Julie Carey will always be known as a seeker of adventure and a bright light who inspired people to live their best, most passionate lives. She devoted her life to helping people grow through transformational wilderness experiences and experiential education in the classroom and beyond. She flowed like water between passions and projects, bringing her unique perspectives, playful sense of humor and buoyant enthusiasm to everything she did, lighting up every room she entered.

Born on November 30, 1967 in Denver, Colorado, Julie was the cherished youngest of four. As a very young girl, she was gentle, sensitive, and shy with a boundless imagination that invented new worlds and languages for her stuffed animals. Her love of music was a constant – learning piano as a kid, playing clarinet and saxophone in the school band, singing and playing guitar with friends and family as an adult. She studied Anthropology and Art at the University of Vermont and later earned a Master's Degree in Language Acquisition and Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at the College of Santa Fe.

Julie was adventurous, fun, and fearless, reveling in wild places. From hiking up Colorado’s Fourteeners to ripping down Phantom Bridge at Mary Jane or linking graceful S-turns in the backcountry, she felt most at home in motion and in nature. She was an accomplished kayaker, a trusted leader for Outward Bound, and an explorer of countless rivers — by kayak, raft, and dory. She understood that a river is never the same river twice, a truth she carried with her on the water and in life. Her unmistakable hooraking echoed through the wilderness, a Carey-family sound of pure joy that will be forever associated with Julie’s presence in wild places.

In addition to twelve years with Outward Bound, she was a leader for Deer Hill Expeditions, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Southwest Open School (SWOS), Women’s Wilderness, and Where There Be Dragons. She taught at PS1 High School for at-risk teens, Cole Innovation Middle School, Pojoaque Valley Schools in New Mexico, and Manaugh Elementary in Cortez. Her compassionate leadership style and deep insight enriched countless lives in every group, excursion, and project she touched. Her ability to meet others at their place on the human journey and venture forward together was a rare, powerful and natural aspect of Julie’s partnership with those around her.

Her passion to learn about and work with other cultures led her to many places around the world including Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, England, Ireland, France, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Singapore and Indonesia where she spent two years teaching at a school in Jakarta.

Julie was deeply creative and always seeking meaningful ways to live and work beyond conventional paths. Dedicated to multicultural education, she believed deeply in the power of experience, storytelling, and connection to foster understanding and growth. This belief lived at the heart of her work, including Write Our World, a project that reflected her commitment to education, equity, and language preservation. She created and brought Write Our World to hundreds of kids, from classrooms in Cambodia and Guatemala to immigrant communities in Denver and Aurora, resulting in a library of more than 200 self-authored e-books in dozens of languages.

In recent years she developed an extensive curriculum for schools of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, served on the Board of the KSJD radio station in Cortez, and facilitated the production of her brother Jeff’s play Maniac Lake at the Sunflower Theatre in October 2024.

Beyond her athleticism and accomplishments, Julie was known for her determination, generosity, and quiet courage. She was stubborn in the best sense of the word—unyielding in her beliefs, persistent in the face of difficulty, and unwilling to take the easy or expected path. Her friendships were lasting, her partnerships meaningful, and her presence unmistakable, illuminated by her boisterous laugh and affinity for fun.

In the last few years of her life, she created a paradise for herself in Dolores, Colorado with her beloved partner Andy that included everything she loved and valued the most – a small, interconnected, caring community; desert, mountain, and river adventures at their doorstep; meaningful work and creative pursuits.

Some of the things Julie loved most are spending time with family, making new experiences with her nieces and nephew, and sharing life’s simplest moments and grandest adventures with the love of her life, Andy, and her pup, Shashi. As with all obstacles, Julie battled mental health challenges with tenacity and courage.

Julie is survived by her partner, Andy Hutchinson; her sister, Ann Sabbah (Basil Sabbah); her brother, Marc Carey (Mary Jo Brooks); and her beloved nephew, Dylan, and treasured nieces, Isabel, Ally, and Emma. Julie was preceded in death by her parents, Betsy Carey and Jack Carey, and her brother, Jeff Carey. She is also remembered by a wide circle of friends and family who carry her memory forward.

A celebration of Julie’s life will be held on Earth Day in Denver and on the summer solstice in Dolores. Those wishing to honor Julie are encouraged to support mental health organizations, outdoor and multicultural education programs, or to spend a day outside—on a mountain, river, trail, or singing a favorite song—in her memory.

https://www.outwardbound.org/cobs/donate-today/

https://www.doloresriverboating.org/donate/

https://sunflowertheatre.org/support/

https://namicolorado.org/