June Irene Bowles

June accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour at Broadway Evangelistic Tabernacle in 1940. June was led to Christ by Miss Meredith, her grade three Sunday school teacher.

At the age of 19 June enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Supply Technician. She was stationed in Ontario for 3 years before returning back home to Vancouver where she started working for Imperial Oil.

June had an adventurous spirit and decided to move to Australia in 1959. While there, she set her sights on the world and began to travel. Down through the years, her travels have taken her to China, Japan, New Zealand, India, South Africa, England, Scotland, and of course, the USA and across Canada.

June met and married Ronald Bowles in 1969 and settled into life in Australia, eventually returning to Canada in 1984. June pursued further studies and became a Certified Child Care Worker. She started her own in-home day care and later took on the role of a private nanny. She continued caring for children until her retirement in 2011.

One evening in the mid 80s, Pastor Gordon Conner knocked on her door on East 28th Avenue and invited June to visit Bethel Baptist Church. She responded and eventually became a faithful member of the church. Her love for children led her to bring many to Sunday School with her each weekend. She even acquired her Class 4 driver's licence so that she could drive the church van. She was always surrounded by children and they loved her as much as she loved them.

In the last few decades of her life, June spent many birthday’s and holiday dinner’s with the Conner family. She also took a special interest in young ladies from the church and encouraged them in their educational pursuits. She had a generous heart and she supported the Camp YES program, building upgrades, GVBLC school fundraisers as well as friends and family if they had a need.

Her wishes were to spend her last days at home and meet her Saviour face to face, which God granted on February 23, 2026.

June is survived by her sister, Shirley; her two daughters and their children. As well as many friends and family, including her long time friend, Hannah and her dearest friend, Joanna.

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