Jim and Julie Wilson moved to Maple Ridge in 2015 after raising 3 sons in a home on Indian Springs golf course in Broken Arrow, OK. They wanted to live in mid-town to be closer to more activities (Philbrook, Gathering Place, Cherry Street, Utica Square, Brookside, and Downtown Tulsa). They always loved the look of Maple Ridge and knew they would enjoy taking long walks around the neighborhood. Jim and Julie have been married for 40 years and have lived in the Tulsa area the entire time. Jim is originally from Wichita, Kansas and Julie hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They met while attending ORU.  

Their passions include:

FAITH – Throughout their marriage, their faith has always been an active part of their lives. They have been active members of Life Church for over 15 years and serve on the host team, as well as mentor younger couples who are engaged and as they begin their new life as a married couple. In addition, Julie is actively involved in Tulsa WOVEN (Women of Vision Embracing Now) which is affiliated with Stonecroft Ministries. She currently mentors 5 young women and enjoys walking through life with them. Jim is active in Bible Study Fellowship and Leader Impact.  

FAMILY – Jim and Julie are retired CPA’s and two of their three sons also became CPA’s (following in the family footsteps). However, their youngest son said “I’ll do anything but accounting” so he decided on a career in IT (but does have a second major in accounting) – it truly runs in the family! The older 2 sons are married, and the Wilsons have 4 grandchildren – under age 8, which keeps them active with family and sporting activities. They enjoy getting the grandchildren together for “Cousin Camp” several times a year!

FRIENDS – Living in the Tulsa area for 40+ years has allowed the Wilsons to develop some special long-term friendships. In fact, they have been in the same couples’ small group for over 37 years – which meets monthly for dinner and alternates between homes. They have also enjoyed meeting new friends in the neighborhood, in fact they met one special couple on a trip to Europe and discovered that they lived in Maple Ridge! Interestingly, they have met several couples while traveling that have become long-time friends! They enjoy meeting friends for dinner or hosting dinner parties in their home.

TRAVEL (tried to come up with another “F” but couldn’t think of a good one!) Early on in their married life, they made the decision to invest in experiences (travel, concerts, musicals, sporting events). With this in mind, they have the goal to visit all 7 continents, 100 countries, and all 50 states. They are about 90 percent complete and hope to achieve this milestone in the next couple of years! Their favorite destination so far is Antarctica but look back fondly on each trip and the memories they have shared together. It was important to them that their sons also develop a love of travel so during their upbringing they visited over 35 countries. Some things they have discovered about travel is to be flexible and not let changes in plans affect their joy in the journey. Also, they have learned to appreciate other countries’ customs, food, and way of living and be educated about their hopes and dreams (as well as their challenges). They feel it is important to remember that while visiting other countries, to understand that things may be different than what is common in America. They have received advice early on from seasoned older travelers to not wait to start traveling later in life, but to get out and see the world while they are young enough to enjoy it. They have taken that advice to heart!  

One funny story happened when they were traveling in Seville, Spain. A couple of college students asked Jim to take their picture while they did a jump. He obliged and then asked if they would return the favor and take a picture of him and Julie jumping. They were somewhat surprised but agreed to do it. That began a new tradition of taking a “jump” picture sometime during each trip. We have included a few for fun! 

Although they have thoroughly enjoyed living in Maple Ridge, they are going to check off another “bucket list” item by living downtown for a year or two. This will allow them to travel more since it will be easy to “lock and leave” their new apartment in the recently refurbished Arco building. They look forward to meeting new friends as well routinely connecting with Maple Ridge friends.

“Die with memories, not dreams.”