JULIUS MAXIMUS POPPINGA

Julius Maximus Poppinga was born in Green Bay, WI on March 13, 2006.  He was a fun loving, vibrant boy who in his youth loved to build Legos, play video games, and dress up as Star Wars and Marvel comic book characters.  He studied martial arts and was a member of the St Patrick’s Elementary school chess club in Thousand Oaks.  Because of his diverse interests, Julius was referred to by his mother as her little “Renaissance Man.”  He loved to cook from scratch, perform magic, and care for his gecko Tyranotaur, dog Symba and cat Winston.  His sense of humor was contagious and he loved to make his friends laugh.  Julius was in his third year learning to speak Chinese, and played the piano and guitar.  He grew into a strong young man with special athletic abilities that led him to being a standout multi-sport athlete in Lacrosse and Football at Westlake High School.  His strong and powerful body was only an expression of his indomitable spirit.  His Christ-like spirit of compassion, love, and joy for the success of others was a beam of light to those who knew and interacted with him.  He was as happy for the success of others as he was with his own personal achievements.  Julius loved volunteering as a summer camp counselor in training where he mentored many kids.  He was known to bring deep insight and perspective to difficult situations that seemed confusing.  He reached out to include new people at school and made his peers feel accepted.  Julius treated his sisters with rare immense love, compassion, and goodness.  His plan was to play D1 college football and follow in the footsteps of his parents serving a Christian mission abroad.  His dream was to be an NFL football player like his dad.  He will always be remembered as a special young man whose legacy of kindness in action will live on forever.