Mattie Jewel Pope Julius age 83 of Round Rock, Texas and formerly of Galveston passed away Thursday September 14, 2023 at Ascension Seton Medical Ceneter in Round Rock. Funeral services are 11:00am Saturday September 23, 2023, at Live Oak Missionary Baptist Church, Reverend Vernon Baines officiating. Burial will follow at Grace Memorial Park in Hitchcock under the direction of Carnes Brothers Funeral Home. The family will receive visitors at the church beginning at 10:00am Saturday.  The family kindly request face mask be worn at the services.

Accent colors being used for the service are Pink, white and lavender.

Mattie Jewel Pope Julius was born August 11, 1940 to James Charles Pope and Chanie Crawford Pope in the small farm town of Ringgold, Louisiana, where she was delivered at home by her midwife grandmother, Nancy Pope. She was the "baby" of five children born to this union. Mattie stayed with her parents in Ringgold and attended Ringgold Colored High School from elementary to junior high until she relocated to Galveston, Texas with her parents in the summer of 1955. She attended the all Black, Central High School, where she graduated as a very proud member of the Class of 1959.

A son, Alonzo LaBine Pope, was born to Mattie and Shorten Anderson on March 20, 1960. Mattie later met and married her husband, Jesse Lee Julius, Sr., on August 26, 1966, and a daughter, Acacia Carlette Julius, was born to this union on December 20, 1971. Her husband, Jesse, preceded her in death on November 3, 1996.

Mattie was baptized and accepted the Lord as her Savior at an early age as her parents instilled in her a strong spiritual foundation and love for the Lord. She became a member of Live Oak Missionary Baptist church where she worshipped regularly until she moved from Galveston to Round Rock, Texas to join her family.

In Mattie's early years she worked at the famous seafood restaurant, Gaido's, until she embarked on a career at The University of Texas Medical (UTMB). Mattie served UTMB for 37 years and throughout the course of her career, she worked in various departments such as medical records, coding, children and youth, medical specialty clinic where she was a supervisor, D-coding, and retired her career as a Clerk III in the emergency department. Throughout her years at UTMB, Mattie cultivated many lifelong friendships with coworkers. Mattie was named the April 1992 UTMB Hospital's "Employee of the Month."

In Mattie's spare time, she loved visiting Facebook online to keep connected with family, classmates, and friends and found Facebook games to be very entertaining. She liked to comment under pictures and posts with the most kind and endearing words. She also loved to play the video game, Ms. Pac Man, or solving a word find puzzle. She enjoyed Holiday times with her family and prepared special Holiday meals for them. She was known for her delicious macaroni and cheese, cornbread dressing, sweet potato pies, lemon meringue pies, sweet potato casserole, and lemon iced tea.

Mattie was a very nurturing soul with a lively and spiritedpersonality. She liked to dress well and enjoyed being fashionable. Her glory was being around family and friends and she cherished special moments and milestones with her childrenand creating opportunities for them.

Mattie was called home on Thursday, September 14, 2023, after an extended illness. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by brothers, Lenon Pope and Reverend Lucious Pope; nephew, Shimarko Pope; sister, Dora Pope Martin; nieces, Brenda Martin Tharpe and Kathy Martin Howard; sister, Dossie Pope Gray; daughter-in-law, Beverly Calvin Pope.

Mattie leaves to cherish her memories, children, Alonzo Pope, Acacia Julius (Troy Ridley); nieces Frances Morris (Edward Jr.), Carol Scott (Jerome), Sharon Pollard (James II), Charlotte A. Pope, Denita Martin Paink (Frank), Regina Martin, Denise Pope, Lisa Pope; nephews, Ricky Gray, Christopher Pope (Foluke), Jonathan Pope, Robert Mays (Ruthie), Michael Pope, Lenon Pope; God children, LaNaya Alfred, Micah Hanlon, and Micahla Hanlon, and a host of extended family and friends.