Jeffery Duane Julian

Jeffery Duane Julian, age 66, of Kannapolis, has left us earthside on August 13, 2025. Jeff, born in Danville, IL on Sept 2, 1958, to Ben and Marge Julian, was the youngest of three brothers. After graduating from Georgetown High in 1976, he entered the U.S. Coast Guard at age 17, where he was awarded a medal for the highest score ever achieved at the training base with a M-16 rifle and an expert ribbon with a handgun. Stationed in Charleston, SC, Jeff served his tour in the Coast Guard as part of the Search and Rescue Team in Georgetown, South Carolina. He went on to work as a master plumber for the City of Charlotte but eventually stepped out to start his own successful plumbing business, Julian’s Plumbing, from the ground up. He prided himself on this accomplishment and the ability to build a business that would last beyond him, which was his dream. Being an avid sportsman, Jeff loved traveling the country for various hunting and fishing excursions throughout his life, as well as competing in (and winning) National Championship sporting clays competitions back in the day. While chaperoning his eldest daughter’s field trip to the Governor’s mansion, he was recognized by a guard, who was reading a sporting magazine with Jeff pictured – the guard did a double take and asked for Jeff’s autograph! Bird hunting was always one of Jeff’s favorites - he loved watching bird dogs do their work! It wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Jeff’s bird dogs – his American Pointers, Milo and Jake, and his German Shorthaired Pointer, Greta – which he loved to run, hunt, take to the beach, and cuddle up with at the end of the day. Jeff was also a semi-professional culinary king, known for crafting masterpieces on his green egg and for his homemade beef jerky. He was a regular at all of the local hangouts in town and at the coast, he always knew where to go to get a good bite to eat wherever he was at. The names Jeff, aka Plumber, and Harley Davidson were basically synonymous. If you ever wanted to know where he was, you just needed to look on Facebook to see a picture of where his bike was parked on any given day. From Sturgis, to riding the Tail of the Dragon in TN, and enjoying frequent trips to Garden City, SC and Little Switzerland, NC. Jeff was a very proud Poppy to his three grandkids (Beck, Bishop, and Hollan). He was their biggest champion and always encouraged them in their interests. After learning that his eldest grandson, Beck, had become quite the regular fisherman around some local ponds, he introduced him to the fun of charter fishing with backwater fishing in Charleston, offshore fishing in Murrells Inlet, and catfishing in Lake Wylie – where Beck caught his record fish to date, 13lbs! His second grandchild, Bishop, shared Jeff’s love of guitar, music and rock & roll. Never one to miss out on a good thing, Poppy encouraged this through fun (and loud) instruments. His only granddaughter, Hollan, inherited her Poppy’s love of clothes, being a little rowdy, and the same quick wit that made Jeff so magnetic. Most recently in Jeff’s life, he had begun to attend church at In The Wind and reading his Bible in the mornings. He spoke of both with joy and looked forward to this time of fellowship on Sundays. On June 22, he committed his life to Jesus and was baptized in the Father’s name. It is amazing he made this commitment just a short time ago but gives us peace knowing he is in better place with our Lord. If this obituary feels long, but you also knew Jeff, you know he lived a lot of life in his almost 67 years. He raised a little hell, had a lot of laughs, could always find a way to have fun and make a friend anywhere he was. His larger-than-life presence will definitely be missed, but he left us all with such great memories. Jeff was preceded in death by his mother, Marjorie Doherty Julian, and his father Ben G. Julian. He is survived by his daughters, Meghan Julian Edwards (Jacob) and Alexa Julian Ferrie (Matthew); his brothers, Joe Julian and Jim Julian; his grandchildren, Beck Julian Edwards, Bishop Ferrie, and Hollan Ferrie; and his nephews, Matt Julian, Chris Julian, and Colby Julian. The family will receive friends from 12:30-1:30 PM Friday, September 12, 2025 at Summersett Funeral Home. The memorial service will follow at 1:30 PM in Summersett Memorial Chapel. As a proud U.S. Coast Guard Veteran, Jeff will be laid to rest in the National Cemetery in Salisbury, NC, at 2:30 PM and will be led by a motorcade along with full military honors.

Jeffery Duane Julian

September 2, 1958 - August 13, 2025