Julia Prater Fulkerson Quarles passed away peacefully on the morning of August 12, 2024, at the age of 87. She was preceded in passing by her father, Thomas Hoyt Prater; her mother, Fannie Ruth Prater; and her beloved first husband, Thomas Bradley Fulkerson Jr. She is survived by her husband, A. Michael Quarles; her sister, Lucy Allison (Dan); her son, Thomas Bradley Fulkerson III (Susan); her grandchildren, Kaitlin Fulkerson Holman (Jim), Thomas Bradley Fulkerson IV (Christy), William Fulkerson (MaryKatherine), and Samuel Fulkerson (Stormy); and five great grandchildren.

Julia was born on May 26, 1937, in Birmingham, Alabama and attended Shades Valley High School. She was a ballerina and danced with the Birmingham Civic Ballet for several years. She spent her first two years of college in Virginia at Mary Baldwin. Her last two years of college were spent at Birmingham Southern, where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. While at Birmingham Southern she met her first husband, Thomas Bradley Fulkerson Jr.

After college Bradley Fulkerson Jr. went into the Navy to serve his country. During this time Julia was an airline hostess for TWA. The two were married in 1960 and first lived on US Naval Bases in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Key West, Florida. Later the couple moved to Birmingham, Alabama for Bradley to attend medical school at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). While in medical school, they were blessed with their son Thomas Bradley Fulkerson III in 1962. In 1966 Bradley Jr. began a medical residency at Carraway Hospital in Birmingham, but sadly he developed cancer during his residency and passed away in April 1969, at the age of 33. During his bout with cancer, Bradley Jr. and Julia both came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of Briarwood Presbyterian Church and Pastor Frank Barker. Bradley Jr. and Julia's strong faith in Christ gave them many opportunities to share the reason for their hope. Their faith and courage in the face of severe adversity had a significant impact on their friends and family, many of whom also came to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

As a single mom with a seven-year-old child, Julia spent her time teaching women's bible studies and served as a member of The Valley Offshoots Garden Club in Birmingham. She actively participated in the ministries of her church, which was where she met her second husband, Mike Quarles. Together Julia and Mike developed and managed a ministry called "Freedom from Addiction" for men and women struggling with alcoholism and addiction. In later years, Julia and Mike moved to Atlanta to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Julia and Mike have authored several books together including Freedom from Addiction. Julia had no greater love than to be involved in the lives of Bradley III, Susan, and their children. This love overflowed to all her family.
Julia was loved by many, and her presence and love were a blessing to all who knew her. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 3:00 PM CT at Elmwood Cemetery & Mausoleum, 600 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Birmingham, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations should be directed to Julia and Mike's ministry, Grace Walk Ministries, P.O. Box 817, St. Petersburg, Florida 33731-0817, online at < https://pushpay.com/g/gracewalkministries?src=hpp > (please select Mike Quarles Recovery Ministry Fund), or Globeworks International Ministries, 2213 Brookshire Place, Birmingham, Alabama 35213, ATTN: Dan and Lucy Allison.