It started like many great stories do—with friendship, faith, and a round of golf.
Julie Richardson and Dr. Bobbie Robinette didn’t plan on becoming business owners when they teed off at a veterinarian association golf outing in September of 2013. Julie, a pharmacist with a heart rooted in community, and Bobbie, a devoted veterinarian, had met years earlier at North Branch Wesleyan Church. They clicked instantly, sharing common values, a passion for pets, and, as it turned out, a vision for compassionate service.
During that fateful golf outing, a group ahead of them included an owner of a pet crematorium based out of Royal Oak. He spoke of families across the Thumb relying on his single crematory to serve the entire region. His words sparked something in Julie—an idea that bloomed with a bold declaration on the drive home.
“Bobbie,” she said, “we are going into business together!”
They laugh about it now, but Julie was dead serious. Between GPS searches for cremation furnaces and calls to potential suppliers, the plan for Loving Memory – Pet Cremation took shape before they even pulled into their driveways.
Launching a pet cremation business is no small feat. The equipment alone is a major investment. But Julie and Bobbie were undeterred. They sourced a cremation furnace made in Chicago, secured financing, and started building relationships with veterinary clinics across Lapeer County, the Thumb, and Genesee County. What began as a bold idea from two women with no prior business partnership transformed into a deeply meaningful mission.
Now, more than a decade later, Loving Memory is a beacon of comfort for grieving pet owners. The team provides pick-up services from homes and clinics, serving individuals and multiple veterinarian offices, offering families peace of mind during one of life’s most tender goodbyes. Julie and Bobbie have built a business not on volume, but on care—every detail handled with respect, every pet treated with dignity.
One hallmark of Loving Memory is their handcrafted, hand-thrown clay urns. Made by an artist in Port Huron, these beautiful vessels are more than a resting place—they're a tribute. No factory mold or generic box. Just something lovingly created, much like the business itself.
For Julie, the work is personal. She grew up on a North Branch farm, surrounded by animals she adored—and lost. “We always buried our pets,” she reflects. “Cremation wasn’t an option then.” Her deep empathy comes from experience, making every interaction with grieving pet owners a shared moment of understanding. She’s lived in North Branch most of her life, raising two children with her college sweetheart and husband of 42 years, David. Together, they now celebrate eight grandchildren, Detroit Tigers games across the country, and summers spent camping beneath Michigan skies.
If there’s a guiding spirit behind Loving Memory, it’s the quiet strength and compassion of women like Julie and Bobbie. Bobbie’s veterinary background provides the expertise and care that define their service. A graduate of Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she started in large animal care, working with dairy cattle in Carson City before settling in North Branch. In 2006, she opened Daley Road Animal Care, a clinic now intertwined with Loving Memory's operations. For many grieving families, it’s the starting point on their journey of saying goodbye.
Though Bobbie’s professional world is steeped in animals, she and Julie find balance in their shared love for golf and service to their church and community. Julie, ever the spiritual anchor, is an active part of the Lapeer County Prayer Walkers, walking the halls of local schools to pray for students and staff. She’s done so faithfully for over 12 years. “North Branch is a close-knit community,” she says. “It’s a great place to raise a family. People here pour into each other.”
That same community spirit flows into their work. The two women are often amazed by the diversity of animals entrusted to them. “You wouldn’t believe it,” Dr. Bobbi shares. “We’ve cremated everything from cats and dogs to iguanas, turtles, mice, hamsters, squirrels, pot bellied pigs, snakes, chickens, parrots, geckos, gerbils, ducks, several other kinds of birds and reptiles, even mini ponies and raccoons.” Each pet tells a story. Each family is met with care.
The facility is located in the industrial part of Lapeer, but families can use the Daley Road Animal Care address as the point of contact to bring their pets in for cremation. It’s a little more of a compassionate setting and Julie and Dr. Bobbi sense that those who walk in with broken hearts will leave with a little comfort. A beautiful urn can later be picked up with the knowledge that someone truly cared. “We are a team,” Julie says, echoing the family motto that greets visitors at her home’s back door. “No matter what comes our way, we choose love. We are a family.”
And that’s what makes Loving Memory so special. It isn’t just a business. It’s a ministry. A calling born of friendship and faith, golf swings and gut feelings, compassion and courage.
In the end, it’s about more than cremation. It’s about dignity. It’s about service. It’s about two women who looked at a gap in their community and filled it—not for profit, but for love.
So to the families of Lapeer, North Branch, and beyond, who’ve trusted Julie and Bobbie in their moments of sorrow, these women have a simple message:
"Thank you—for allowing us the privilege of caring for your beloved companions."
And to the rest of us, their story is a reminder of what can happen when friendship meets purpose. When women of grit and grace say, “Let’s do this,” and never look back.
Photography by Emily Z Photography