June originally moved to Colorado in the early 1970’s and fell in love with the mountains. She and her family went camping & fishing as often as they could. After a couple of years in the Denver Metro area, they moved to the Parker/ Castle Rock area.
June enjoyed working with the community. She was employed by the (original) Douglas County News Press for many years and was the secretary at the Castle Rock United Methodist Church for several years as well. Along with her administrative duties, June loved to collect “News Press Bloopers” (after one particularly bad storm: “the (street) gutters were clogged with oatmeal.”) While at the United Methodist Church, she strove to make everyone feel welcome and at home.
June had a wonderful sense of humor and whimsy. One year she won the Easter Egg Hunt by hollowing out a loaf of freshly baked bread and hiding the egg inside. (!) Another Easter, she and her husband, Bill, spent HOURS creating individual colored jelly bean trails for each family member to follow to their Easter Basket. She enjoyed playing board games, poker and dice with her family as well.
Few people knew that June was an artist, writer, excellent cook and an avid reader. Most of her art work & projects were for family only and her writing consisted of a compilation of tales of her growing up in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, California. (Including “The Ghost of the Diamond X Ranch”) She could always be found with at least two or three books she was reading at the same time. Her culinary and art skills were passed down to her daughter, Stephanie and granddaughter, Elise. Paige inherited her flair for writing and her love of reading.
June’s favorite time, however, was after she retired and she and Bill travelled across the country in an RV. She enjoyed meeting new people and discovering the natural beauty of the country. One of her favorite places was Alaska and Denali National Park. After a few years of the “vagabond” life, she and Bill settled down in a small town in Oklahoma where they lived for several years.
Following Bill’s death, she relocated to Castle Rock and split her time between California with family and living with her daughter, Stephanie in Castle Rock. When Stephanie & her husband moved to La Jara, Colorado, June went with them. She loved the peace, quiet and natural desert beauty of the San Luis Valley. She was awed by the annual migration of the Sand Hill Cranes and the Sand Dunes Park. As June’s health declined, she returned to Castle Rock to live with her daughter, Paige and her husband.
June is survived by her daughter Paige Gerbitz and her husband, Royce; her daughter Stephanie Gallegos and her husband, Joe; her sister Anne Kellebrew and her husband, Ed; her grandson Paul Osburn and his wife, Kirsten, her granddaughter Sheri Lawler, her great-grandson Alex Lawler, her great-grandson Jackson Lawler, her great-grandson Ayden Osburn, her great-granddaughter Serenity Osburn, her great-granddaughter Danika Osburn and her great-granddaughter Erin Osburn. Along with multiple nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family
June was preceded in death by her husband Bill Blakeslee; her parents Bill and Beulah Botts; her sister Beverly Ridgely and her brother Barney Botts; her granddaughter Elise Osburn.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Alzheimer's Association.
