Novak, Julia Ann

Julia Ann Novak, 32, of Christiansburg, died unexpectedly on Sunday, August 10, 2008. She was born in Lynn, Mass., on April 12, 1976, and grew up in Oklahoma, Germany, New York and Virginia.

She graduated from Hampton’s Kecoughtan High School in 1994 before heading to Virginia Tech, where she obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Julia was a professional engineer with Draper Aden Associates, where her skills in civil and environmental engineering and in computer science found their niche. There, she volunteered for Meals on Wheels, the recycling program, and of course, served on the Fun Committee. She achieved a Second Degree Black Belt and was a certified instructor at Abbott’s Tae Kwon Do America, teaching both children and adults.

She is survived by her parents, Stanley J. and Eileen M. Hubbard Novak, of Woodbridge, Va.; sister and brother-in-law, Angela and Russ Lycan, of Hampton, Va.; grandparents, Richard and Virginia Flynn Hubbard II, of Tonawanda, N.Y.; aunts, Sue Gutterman, Kathy Hubbard and Lenore Regan; uncle, Richard Hubbard III; and cherished cousins. Julia would want us to mention her two cats, Winnie and Daisy.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, August 13, 2008, at McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, S.W., Blacksburg. Funeral Mass will be conducted 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 14, 2008, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Father James Arsenault officiating. In keeping with Julia’s commitment to service to others, the family asks that donations be made in Julia’s name to Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley, where she volunteered, in lieu of flowers.