June Lorene Johnston Knaack

June Lorene Johnston Knaack of Leawood, Kansas passed away at the age of 102. She transitioned peacefully in her sleep on Monday, March 2, 2026, at the home of her daughter, Dianne Watts, in Lafayette, CO.

June was born June 2, 1923, in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Paseo High School in 1940. Then she enrolled in the nursing program at St. Luke’s Hospital and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1944. World War II was raging, and she felt the call to serve her country as an army nurse. June was stationed at Fort Carson. A dashing air force pilot, Raymond Edward Knaack, was stationed at nearby Peterson Airforce Base. They met at the officers’ club, and were married two weeks later (their courtship was cut short when Ray received orders to leave for Texas, so they married on March 11, 1945, in Colorado Springs, CO). Who knew that such a short courtship could produce 52 years of wedded bliss?

June was preceded in death by her husband, Ray; her parents, Artie Harriet Lytle and Henry Earl Johnston; her sister Ruby Amie Johnston; and her brother John Wilson Johnston.

She is survived by children, Jerry Raymond Knaack, John Randall Knaack (wife Irina), Dianne Louise Watts (husband Richard), and Janet Lee Gold (husband Allen). She has 11 grandchildren: Christen Cuevas, Ian Hunter Knaack, Danielle Anderson, Carolyn Martich, Lucinda Taplin, Lorinda Schowe, Chrisinda Spencer, Jonathan Watts, Alexander Hurren, Chase Hurren, and Mackenzie Hurren. She also embraced 4 step-grandchildren, Marcus Watts, Danelle Herbert, Alisa Hall, and Alona Medvedeva.

As years went by, she became a great grandmother, and she proudly named herself GG. There are 24 children that call her GG: Ziggy Dreschel, Ivy Dreschel, Mackenzie Spencer, Jessinda Spencer, Benjamin Spencer, Elizabeth Spencer, Alaina Spencer, Jay Schowe, Ava Schowe, Titus Taplin, Phoenix Taplin, Dante Martich, Saxton Martich, Elika Anderson, Rylee Anderson, Matthew Knaack, Elizabeth Knaack, Michael Hall, Heather Hall, Kaitlin Herbert, Nathan Herbert, Daniel Herbert, Anna Morzova, and Natasha Morzova.

Services will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City Missouri 64131. Visitation will begin at 1:00pm. The Funeral Service will follow from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. A Committal Service will be held at Mount Moriah Cemetery, at 3:00pm. Followed by a Reception in the funeral home from 4:00pm to 6:00 pm.