In Memoriam: Julie Marie Heinz-Johnson, 1965-2019

Julie Heinz-Johnson, the director of athletics at Ripon College in Wisconsin, died on June 13. She was 53 years old and had suffered from cancer.

A native of Ipswich, South Dakota, Heinz-Johnson graduated from Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota, where she majored in health, physical education and recreation and played basketball. After serving as an assistant women’s basketball coach at South Dakota State University, Heinz-Johnson joined the staff at Ripon College in 1990 as basketball coach and teacher of exercise science.

During her nearly 30-year career at Ripon College, Heinz-Johnson served as head coach for golf, softball, and women’s basketball, where she amassed a record of 303 wins. She also chaired the department of exercise science at the college. In 2010, Heinz-Johnson was named director of athletics, the first woman to hold the position at Ripon College.