Julia D. Ball December 30, 1956 February 14, 2013 Portland- Julia Dorothy Simoneau Ball, 56, aka, Duddy, Kippy, or Wheezy, died on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2013, as a result of injuries sustained in a fire. She was surrounded by her loved ones. Julia graduated with honors from Portland High School in 1975. She was a self employed housekeeper, companion, and confidant. Her clients were truly part of her extended family. She had been with many of, ""her people"", for generations and did special things for them and their pets regularly. One client commented that her dog, "Ginger", missed her birthday present. All of her clients were very special to her and are deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Family and loved ones were of utmost importance to Duddy. She led the way with her common sense, wit, empathy and kindness. She taught forgiveness and compassion among other things. It was her goal in life to make everyone she knew feel special and loved. She was a true friend. Her friends and family could always go to her in times of need. She even had "knees" for Princess. Duddy had many talents. She was the family historian and spent hours upon hours researching genealogy. She enjoyed scrap booking, gardening, crossword puzzles, making pieces of art and listening to music. She also threw elaborate themed birthday parties and gatherings. She enjoyed holidays and decorated to the fullest extent for the benefit of children during the holidays. She set a table with care and pride. Every gift was decorated beautifully, perfectly wrapped and donned with bows. The family always gathered at her home for Christmas and many Easter eggs were hidden in her yard. Duddy was a supporter of Friends for Feral Felines. Her adopted cat Ebony survived the fire and is with her son Corey. She was pre-deceased by her mother, Elaine Farr Simoneau; father, Eugene Simoneau and a brother, Eugene Simoneau. She is survived by her son Corey Dubay of Portland; sister, Renee Wright of Portland; brothers, Arthur Simoneau and his wife Joanne of South Carolina and Tracy Simoneau and his wife Judy of Saco. She is also survived by several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Special thanks to All of the staff at Mass General who cared for Duddy, the nurses who are so special, Dr. Fagan, who tried aggressively to help Duddy through this, the staff at Maine Medical Center, firefighters everywhere and the first responders. A memorial visitation will be held from 5-7 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at A.T. Hutchins Funeral & Cremation Services, 660 Brighton Ave. Portland. A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 2 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress St. Portland. To offer words of condolence and share memories with the family, please go to the obituaries section at www.athutchins.com. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Portland Firefighter's Children's Burn Foundation, 380 Congress St. Portland, ME 04101.