SALT LAKE CITY — You've probably noticed the billboards on the side of I-15 or along city roads dedicated to Julia Reagan. They stand out because they aren't selling anything.
They read "In Loving Memory of Julia Reagan." Her name is in huge letters and in smaller print they say, "Our Loving Wife, Mother and Grandmother."
The billboards are one final love note from her husband of 50 years — the man who owns the largest billboard company in Utah. Bill Reagan put up 60 billboards in Julia's honor in Utah. He placed 300 more billboards in Julia's honor in every market where Reagan Outdoor Advertising operates.
Bill Reagan said seeing them when he drives around picks him up and helps him deal with the grief.
The billboards went up shortly after Julia Reagan's sudden death on June 12.
"I kissed her goodnight the night before, but I never really had a chance to say goodbye to her," Bill Reagan said. "And so now she's right on the board so I can say goodbye every time I see one."
Julia Reagan met her husband when she was 23. He was three years younger.
They met the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 1965. They eloped a few weeks later on the day after Christmas.
Two peas in a pod
Bill and Julia Reagan decided to drive to San Francisco on Christmas night in 1965. They stopped in Reno along the way to get married at the courthouse.
"When we got there, we went to the courthouse," Bill Reagan said. "It said it was only open from 10 to 11. And I said, ... dear, we've missed it by five minutes. It's 11:05.' She says 'No … we're in California. It says it's five minutes after 10.' So we got married. And we were married till the day she died."
Three days after they came back from their trip, they had another ceremony with a rabbi who Julia Reagan's father had called up.
They met at a dance where Bill Reagan was a wingman for a friend trying to court Julia's sister. When he saw Julia, Bill Reagan knew he had to ask her for a dance, which led to another dance and then a few more throughout the night.
Dancing remained a staple in their relationship. For the last 20 or so years, the Reagans were members of a dance club, always staying until the last song. Bill Reagan said they were two peas in a pod.
The night before they eloped, they went out to dinner and both ordered liver and onions — "Funny, you know." He said there were other signs that they were meant to be, like the last four digits of her Social Security number matching with his birthday.
Julia Reagan was a doctoral student in anatomy at the University of Utah. Bill Reagan had just started Reagan Outdoor Advertising. With hardly any money to their names, they went on to build the company, having four children along the way.
Their youngest son died about 17 years ago. The rest of their children now work for the family business.
Bill Reagan said despite being "painfully shy," his wife would find causes that she cared about and write checks to support them. She worked with the Assistance League, the Women's Legislative Council, the Rape Crisis Center and the National Council of Jewish Women, to name a few.
'Half of me – maybe more – is gone'
Since Julia Reagan's sudden death, Bill Reagan feels like he's lost a piece of himself. "Half of me — maybe more — is gone," he said.
"We were married 50½ years, which were wonderful. We never were ever estranged. We'd have plenty of disagreements — resolved every one of them," Bill Reagan said. "We had a very good life — very happy — wonderful children, wonderful grandchildren, wonderful business, so it's just I feel totally lost."
Her death came as a shock. They had just returned from a medical checkup, where Julia Reagan got a clean bill of health, and then she died of a heart attack. The medical examiner is still investigating the cause.
Bill Reagan moved to Utah about nine months before he met his wife, who had lived in the state most of her life.
Julia Reagan was his rudder, he said. Bill Reagan has lost his guidance, but he still has the memories and the billboards.
They'll run for two months. He said they've brought him so much joy seeing them, that he plans on running a birthday board for her next year, around Halloween.
Bill Reagan said he never discussed putting up billboards with his wife. Admitting that Julia Reagan was very shy, he jokes that he'll have to pray for forgiveness for putting her face on billboards all over America.
