Josephine Perales Aidulis was born in Los Angeles on May 11th 1957 to Edward Perales, Sr. and Ana Luz Perales of Puerto Rico. A sweet child, full of curiosity, whose arms were perpetually outstretched for a hug, Josie was bilingual and proud of her heritage. Josie’s father would take her for rides in the single-engined aircraft he used for his charter business, and through his work as a grip in Hollywood, would arrange her to meet celebrities, including The Monkees. Once he brought her home a box of donuts that Elvis Presley ate from. When she was about 13 her father left, an event that echoed through the rest of her life.

Even as a child Josie tried her best to comfort her mother’s broken heart, and find her new friends. Her early dream was to work with animals, but she was excluded from animal husbandry school on a technicality of which she had not been made aware. Some of her happiest memories centered around her brother Eddie’s high school football team, making food for their gatherings and cheering them on. Throughout her life she protected and was protected by her sister Ana, through school bullies, employment, and the changing fortunes of their health. Josie later worked at K-Mart where she was lauded by staff and customers for her caring dedication.

In 1979 Josie was interviewed for a position in the practice of Dr. Jerome Tirsch. Although she was unskilled she said “Please, I need this job. If you hire me I promise you won’t regret it.” Dr. Tirsch hired her on her word. She would rise to become his most trusted aide, and was later awarded second place in a national search for the best medical biller. Dr. Tirsch would later delay his retirement until she secured new employment. Also in 1979 Josie married John Nomis, her high school sweetheart, heralding more than a decade of frustration, through addiction and other vices, with her last straw his revealing of a child outside their marriage. Josie was a savior of the lost soul, prone to be taken advantage of, but her generous and loyal spirit also attracted good and loyal people to her side. When Dr. Tirsch retired in 1994, Josie founded JEMS Medical Services, the company that would be her baby for the rest of her life. Through JEMS, Josie generated tens of millions of dollars for medical practices in California, and gave many young ladies a start in their profession.

Josie’s heroes were Clark Gable, Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury. Her prized possession was a 1936 copy of Gone With the Wind. She was a fan of all things science fiction and fantasy, from Star Trek to Supernatural, from The X-Files to Harry Potter, Doctor Who, the Dirk Pitt novels of Clive Cussler, and the John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Her passwords and pets’ names were frequently drawn from this pool. She was especially moved by the Titanic disaster, and attended some Titanic exhibits in reverent awe. Josie loved everything Disney and considered Disneyland her happy place.

Josie loved to make things with her hands and paint them. If you were very special, she would make something for you. She joked that if you opened her veins, coffee would come out. Ever curious, Josie learned to play the piano, speak some German, and knew sign language. She honored the United States military in good times and bad. Throughout her life Josie rescued and housed dozens of animals, living by the Dr. Seuss motto, “A person’s a person no matter how small.”

On February 14th 1997 Josie met the love of her life, a Michael Aidulis of Glasgow, Scotland, in an early instance of online dating. They healed and strengthened each other for many years. Opposites in personality but complementary, Michael encouraged Josie to say “no” more often to people, while Josie encouraged Michael to more often say “yes”.

Josie firmly believed in the miracles and message of love of Jesus Christ. She placed all her problems in the hands of her higher power, and never prayed for herself – only others. She organized church plays and other events, only retiring from this chapter of her life due to a lack of support from her peers.

Josie’s favorite memories are a trip to Loch Ness in 1999, and a pilgrimage to Israel in 2017. She died at peace in her home in Lancaster, California after a long illness on June 7th 2025, with her husband and her animals by her side, one day after her silver wedding anniversary.

Josie is survived by her brother Eddie, sister Ana, nephews Euan, Matthew, Daniel, Bishop, Ezio, Connor and Everett, and nieces Felicita, Scarlett, Lauren, Rachel, Natasha, Charlotte, and Catalina, whom she loved like her own daughter. Her loss to the world is incalculable, her loss to our hearts immeasurable. Rest in peace, Josie. You have earned it.