Linda June Ruple Martin

Linda June Ruple Martin was born in El Dorado, AR in 1942. She relocated with her family to Houston Heights as a teenager in the 1950s. June loved dancing, playing piano, sewing, crocheting, camping, road trips, exploring, antiquing, entertaining, & spending time with the people she loved.

A lover of people & a genuinely loving person, June made friends easily. At Reagan High School she met her soon-to-be husband & made many lasting friendships that she carried through her final days.

June prized time with her children, supporting them in varied activities. A skilled seamstress & designer, she hand-made much of their clothing & was especially creative with costumes. Her children (and others) could raid her costume closet for just about anything… a polar bear, a pilgrim, etc. If a costume was not in the closet, she would make it from fabrics on hand.

Known as “Blossom” to the girls in her troop, June led Girl Scout Troop 359 to become “The International Troop”, which included elementary aged girls from various races & nationalities, teaching sisterhood & the celebration of differences. She was a dynamic troop leader, building bonds with those girls that persisted into adulthood.

An active volunteer in area schools, June served as room mother & band mom for all ages from elementary to high school. She chaperoned field trips, decorated for dances, supported teachers, & was sometimes a shoulder for kids to cry on when life seemed tough. She lifted students up, creating lifetime bonds with many students and their future children along the way.

June defied societal norms of discrimination in brave ways; she spoke out in support & advocated for people of color, interracial marriage, LGBTQ, & children’s causes. She actively helped any person having a hard time & believed in all people, young & old, regardless of who they were or where they were from. Her home was a sanctuary for ALL.

June often took her grandkids on adventures to new places across the country. She valued her grandchildren & spent as much time with them as she could. She hosted countless birthday parties & slumber parties at her house & was never phased by any childhood shenanigans that might arise.

At a time when computers were newly introduced into the workplace & women were still finding their seats at the table, she taught herself to program & built an impressive career. This included an important role on the team that wrote the code used to launch Space Shuttle missions for NASA, the foundation for the program still in place today. She became one of the most sought-after support persons globally in her field.

Known as “Linda June” to her childhood family, “Mom” to her children, “Grandmommie” to her grandchildren, “June” to her friends & colleagues, “Blossom” to the scouts, & “Momma June” to countless others... whatever you called her, whatever her contribution to your world, we can all agree that the thing she did best in her life was to LOVE.

Linda June Ruple Martin passed away on October 7, 2025 in Houston, TX at the age of 83. She is survived by her brother & cousins, four children, five grandchildren, four great grandchildren, a god-daughter, & a treasure trove of friends. Her love will be deeply missed but will live on forever through the people she has touched.