Julie D. Cavanaugh

Julie Dinwiddie Cavanaugh, a long-time resident of Wilmington and career legal assistant, died on April 8, 2023, after a courageous two year bout with cancer. She is predeceased by her mother Grace Dinwiddie and father Joe Ed Dinwiddie.

Julie was born in Chicago, spent time in California and then came to Wilmington when her parents moved here. Julie graduated from Palm Springs High School in 1976 after which she attended Chapman University in Orange, California. She then began her career as a legal assistant and paralegal.

Over the decades, she worked for Payne, Boyle and Swart; New Hanover County Clerk of Superior Court; Murchison Taylor & Gibson; Dean Davis; and finally, Rountree Losee, where she served as paralegal and legal assistant to Steve Coggins.

Julie was an animal lover her entire life. Over the years, she spoiled them all – cats, dogs, ferrets, and every one of them became an important part of her family. Julie was also an avid gardener, if she touched it, it bloomed and thrived, and it didn’t matter if it was a houseplant that she rescued or a glorious outdoor garden. Plants responded to her in the most beautiful way.

Julie lived life and faced death with humor and radical acceptance of reality. As she would say with a chuckle, “It is what it is”.

She is especially thankful for her colleagues at Rountree Losee, who acted as her family over the last years; for St. James Parish for “adopting” her into their church family; for her longtime friends and family members, Michelle Caminiti and Elizabeth Peterson; and for her close neighbor and friend Beth Blackwell. A celebration of life will be planned at a later date so we can all gather and celebrate our friend and loved one.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Julie may be sent to the American Cancer Society (https://donate.cancer.org); The Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, 1414 Physicians Dr, Wilmington NC 28401 (https://lifecare.org/donate/); The New Hanover County Humane Society (https://newhanoverhumanesociety.org); St. James Episcopal Parish, 25 S. 3rd St., Wilmington NC 28401 (https://www.stjamesp.org)