June Dounies

June Dounies, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother left us on February 8, 2023 surrounded by the love of her family. She had lived 92 blessed and happy years and was still driving herself to Bible Studies with her church ladies group up until 4 months before she passed into the loving arms of Jesus.

June was born on July 8, 1930, in the beginning years of the great depression. She was born on the family farm, close to the McClain store, near Webers Falls, Oklahoma, the second child of Frank James Brown and Pearl Shamblin. Sister Sally preceded her followed by brother Nat and Sister Linda.

The great depression was devastating to her once prosperous extended family and yet she remembered her childhood as one surrounded by love and affection. Although money was scarce they never went hungry and her Mother never sent any of the homeless men who occasionally showed up at the back door away hungry and without a sack lunch.

Searching for work the family moved to Eufaula and then to Konawa. June, her siblings and cousins, would roam all over town in those more innocent days and every Saturday morning was spent at the movies. Serials and cowboy movies with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were the usual entertainment. And the at home radio was always tuned to stations playing cowboy music. She developed a lifelong love of the music of The Sons of the Pioneers. For the rest of her life she would always go to see them perform when they were close. And sometimes even when they were not close.

During WWII her father moved to Los Angeles where he found work in a factory, and when he had saved enough money he brought the family out also, settling in Ivanhoe. June attended Visalia Union High School, now Redwood High School, graduating in 1949. During these years she would work in the ticket office at the Visalia Fox Theatre, walking across the street for a bowl of soup at the small restaurant just across the street while the movies were playing.

After graduation June went to work for the telephone company. There she made lifelong friends. Then one day she boarded the Orange Belt Stages bus from Ivanhoe to Visalia, which that day was being driven by William (Bill) Dounies. Bill was the widowed husband of one of her cousins, who had been left with two small children following a tragic automobile accident that had taken his wife and a baby daughter.

He asked her to sit behind him and talk to him, when she reached her destination he gave her quarter fare back. And then launched into a determined courtship taking her horseback riding, buying her her first pair of jeans, helping her buy her first car, which he then kept in running condition for her. When her boyfriend from Oklahoma came to take her back she decided that there was someone better here and on February 13, 1950 she and Bill were married at the Wee Kirk O the Heather wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Lacking money for a proper honeymoon they then spent several days searching for rumored dinosaur tracks in the desert. Without success, but they had a wonderful time regardless.

June immediately adopted Bill Jr. and Donna, and then Russell arrived to complete the family. In their younger years June stayed home, always a constant and happy presence. June and Bill always put their children first and were actively involved in church and school activities. Children of the depression they were determined that their children would have all the benefits that they did not. By hard work and thrifty living they managed to put all their children through college and in addition they put Russell through medical school.

June and Bill also had a very active social life and a large circle of friends. They brought a travel trailer and with multiple friends there were many trips to the coast and desert. In the late 1950’s June and Bill became members in the Visalia Seventh-Day Adventist Church. They were very active in church activities and in the late 1960’s June served on the building committee when the congregation built their current facility on Woodland Street. When she passed she was the last surviving member of that committee.

As her children grew up and became more independent, June took a seasonal job as a layout specialist at Jostens’ American yearbook, where she spent the rest of her working life. Again, making many lifelong friends.

June was always industrious; she loved to sew and made most of her own clothes, as well as clothes for many others. She was always delighted to make costumes for her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and their friends, and even for children she did not know, for plays and choir performances. She would can tomatoes, peaches, apricots to take to her parents each summer after they moved to Washington State. She loved spending time with her sisters and brother whenever she could. And delighted in all of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Always health conscious, June always was interested in healthy living. She always ate a healthy well balanced diet and walked three miles a day well into her late 80s. Even in her 90s she would walk around the block with her walking sticks, right up until the last 4 months of her life.

June was preceded in death by her parents Frank and Pearl, husband Bill, son Bill Jr. (and his wife Susan), sister Sally, brother Nat, and by most of her dearest friends.

She is survived by daughter Donna Williams, son Russell Dounies (Laurie) both of Visalia. Granddaughter Susan Easter (David) of Las Vegas, Granddaughters Kristin Ochs (Derek) of Visalia, and Ellie Vixie (Joel) of College Place, WA. By sister Linda Bostrom (Les) of Bellingham, WA. By Great grandchildren Eden Vixie, Jackson Easter, Ronan Vixie, Reagan Vixie and Eloise Ochs.

A Visitation will be held Thursday February 23rd at 3-7pm at Miller Memorial Chapel.

A brief graveside service will be at Visalia Public Cemetery District on Friday February 24th at 12 noon.

A Celebration of Life is be planned at the Visalia Seventh-Day Adventist Church and will be announced at a later date.

Remembrances can be made to Kaweah Delta Hospice. Tributes and condolences may be made at Millerchapel.com

Arrangements entrusted to Miller Memorial Chapel, 1120 West Goshen Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291 (559) 732-8371