Margaret June Rector

Margaret June Rector, age 96, of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away peacefully at home on September 16, 2021. She was a loving wife, mother, stepmother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a friend and inspiration to many.

June was born on May 19, 1925, in Goodland, Kansas, to George Elvis “Goodie” Harper and Bessie Harper (Peters). After graduating high school at the top of her class, she moved to Denver, Colorado, where she met Dale Rector. They were married on October 8, 1950, and moved to Pueblo, Colorado, Dale’s hometown. The family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in the summer of 1961. In 1965, they founded Realty Executives.

Life on the Kansas farm was difficult during the Great Depression, and June was eager to see more of the world. She and her girlfriends drove themselves to California for a vacation in the 1940s and even smoked cigarettes—adventurous things for a woman to do nearly one hundred years ago! She retained her spirited and independent attitude to the end of her life.

June was always the family social director. She organized a bridge club and was a formidable player well into her nineties. She was an active member of P.E.O. and made life-long friends there. Her ability to remember acquaintances’ names, names of their children, and vast details of their lives was unsurpassed. She credited her long and healthy life to her dedication and passion for water aerobics, which she led faithfully every morning at her summer home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

As a girl in a small farming community, June grew up amid quilting circles. She drew on that experience and excelled at quilting. In 1976, the Smithsonian Institution chose one of her quilts for their Bicentennial collection, which included only two quilts from each state.

She retired from quilting late in her life after making many treasures for family members. But June then started sewing teddy bears made from old mink coats. She transformed the no-longer-wanted furs to be cuddled by many kids and kids-at-heart. In her retirement community at the Terraces, she was fondly known as the “Bear Lady.”

June was preceded in death by Dale, her husband of 54 years, and brother Ron Harper and is survived by sister Marcie Cody and her husband Roger, Ron’s wife Pam, stepdaughter Janie Riels, son Gary Rector and his wife Jacki, son Richard Rector and his wife Robyn Lee, and daughter Becky Moler and her husband Jim, 13 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

June always said that the most important thing is family. She always wanted the best for us, always expected us to be our best, and always did her best to set that example and support us. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

A private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in June’s name to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower Street, Phoenix, 86014, hov.org, or to HonorHealth Foundation and directed to HonorHealth Greatest Needs Program. Your gift may be mailed to HonorHealth Foundation, Attn: Sarah Evans, 8125 N Hayden Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85258, or be made online at honorhealthfoundation.org/donate/.

Remembrances may be posted on https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/10361189.