June M. Benjamin

June Benjamin (Junie), 58 years old, died at Riverside Health and Rehab Centre on December 8, 2015 after a long illness. She leaves behind daughter Elisa Miller, mother Lorna Byfield, father George Benjamin, and numerous loving family and friends.

June , Junie as she was affectionately known, was born in Hayes, Clarendon, Jamaica. She was a loving, joyful, encouraging, talented person with a great sense of humour. She attended Gimme-Me-Bit Elementary School in Clarendon, Jamaica and later studied Dramatic Arts at the School of Drama in Kingston, Jamaica. She migrated to Rochester, New York, USA in 1978 and later moved to Florida where she married and had her daughter Elisa.

She had a passionate love of poetry and her appreciation for African art was contagious. Junie loved to watch horror movies. Her aunt Joyce had to watch them with her. She loved her childhood pet dog Jack and was known to get up to all kinds of antics with him.

Her uncle Percy recalls how she loved to sing and dance with him. She always broke into laughter when she saw him, even as she laid helpless in the nursing home. Her friend Michelle holds dear the memory of pulling into a parking lot, turning on the car radio, opening the car doors and her and Junie singing and dancing right there in the parking lot. Junie’s cousin, Jackie reflects on her ability to bring humour into any situation, uplifting all around her. Junie’s uncle Bradford cherishes his memories of growing up with her like brother and sister. He smiles when he recalls trying to get her to keep still as he took her to school on the handle bar of his bicycle. Her aunts Joyce and Hyacinth, as mothers themselves, reflects on Junie’s dedication to her daughter, Elisa. Even during the difficult times brought on by her illness, Junie never failed to love, provide for and do all she could to protect her daughter Elisa. Her commitment as a mother was one that all mothers could learn from.