Julio and his siblings grew up speaking Basque because the family spoke it at home.  When they lived near Boise, he had to balance his sheepherding duties with school, but the family moved to a (sheepless) farm in Marsing when Julio was a young man.  He describes the large Basque community in the Boise of his childhood, and the smaller one in Marsing.

Julio married Evelyn Johnstone in 1943, and the couple has raised four children who are quite interested in their Basque heritage.  Even though he speaks Basque fluently, Julio has never been to Euskadi.  Today, he is proud of his identity, and involves himself in many Basque activities.