June was born in Forest Home, Butler County, Alabama on November 5, 1918 to Louise Gilmer Watt of Forest Home, and Thomas Rex Mathews of Sylacauga. She grew up in Sylacauga, but spent many a summer on the Butler County farm. In Sylacauga her father’s family owned a dry goods store and the Rex Hotel. Their home was destroyed in the devastating tornado of 1928, a memory that would be with her all her life.
She studied at Montevallo College and later when the family moved to Miami, Florida, worked as a legal secretary. Her next job took her in 1941 to the Bahamas, where she worked for a wartime company constructing airfields. Soon after arriving, she was invited to a glamorous garden party held by the Governor of the Bahama Islands, the former King of England Edward VIII, that was also attended by a young Army doctor, Frank Sims Moody of Tuscaloosa. She and Frank married in the Bahamas at the Scottish Presbyterian Church, then endured the cold of Minnesota where Frank was next deployed, where their first child, Elizabeth Shortridge (Betty) Moody was born. The next wartime transfer took them to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where work was being done on the Manhattan Project, then back to Birmingham, where they settled in to their house on Diaper Row. June became a volunteer with the newly-formed University of Alabama Speech and Hearing Center. With June’s mother now living with the family, June had their second daughter, Louise Gilmer Moody. After the move to their home on Rockledge Road in Mountain Brook, they enjoyed a life full of friends.
An outgoing and engaging member of her community, she had a talent for connecting with people. She was a member of the Junior League of Birmingham, and her passion was singing in the chorale group. A member of Independent Presbyterian Church, she served as a Deaconess. She was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Colonial Dames. She enjoyed the fellowship of several garden clubs, and she was an accomplished seamstress and upholsterer. She and Frank enjoyed delving into their families’ genealogy, and she was an active member of the Birmingham Historical and the Birmingham Genealogical Societies.
Her younger brother, Robert Craig Mathews, preceded her in death; daughter Elizabeth died in 2009; and husband Frank Sims died 3 years ago. She had been a resident of Kirkwood by the River for the past 3 years.
She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Louise Moody and son-in-law Reid Detchon of Bethesda, Maryland; grandchildren Carsten Agerskov Pedersen and Laura Blacksin of Seattle, Washington; Elliot Moody Hannon of Brooklyn, New York; Burwell Lewis Hannon of Washington, D.C.; Julia Watt Detchon of Austin, Texas; Charlotte Sims Detchon of Washington, D. C.; and Deborah Rose Detchon of Crestone, Colorado.
A visitation will be held on Friday, January 9, 2015 at Ridout's Valley Chapel from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. A private burial will be held at Elmwood Cemetery on Saturday, January 10, 2015, followed by an 11:00 a.m.memorial service at Independent Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the many worthwhile programs of Independent Presbyterian Church, 3100 Highland Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama 35205.
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