June Margaret Miracle

June was born on June 20, 1935 in Medina, Ohio and died on April 25, 2026. She grew up in a house built by her parents on 40-acres of sprawling farm country. She learned at a young age to use her imagination because of the distance between neighbors during her childhood. She attended York Township School for twelve years and graduated in 1953 in a class of 23 students.

June developed a passion for writing, which led to an internship at the Medina County Gazette. She became the Society Editor and operated the paper’s photo equipment. This opened the door to another life-long passion – photography. This also paved the way for her to attend Kent State University on a journalism scholarship. She often spoke of the sign in one of her classrooms that read, “Nothing Short of Right is Right.” She lived this in her writing and daily life.

While at Kent State, she met her husband, Phil Miracle, a fellow journalism student. Phil graduated in 1957 and joined the U.S. Army Reserves. June graduated the following year and worked for a radio station and then at BF Goodrich in Akron, Ohio.

Phil and June were married October 25, 1958 and built a house on June’s parent’s land where they lived for the next 20 years. In 1960 their first child, Joan Marie, was born. June had no experience with babies or children but learned quickly and loved holding and feeding her. Daughter Jean was born in 1962, and son Doug was born in 1966.

June worked part-time at the local newspaper and spent time volunteering at schools, 4-H club, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, doing the newsletter for the League of Women Voters and doing the high school football programs. Phil’s employment provided many opportunities for them to travel.

In 1979 the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania changed the family’s lives. Phil worked for the company that built boilers for the nuclear reactors. He became Crisis Management Director and was asked to move to New Orleans.

The family moved to Slidell, Louisiana where June began her photography business, Memory Mate Photography. She took team and individual pictures for five Junior and Senior high schools. She photographed sports teams, dance teams, cheerleaders, band members, proms and special dances.

In 1980 she went to work for the Slidell Computer Complex, a contractor for NASA that supported the first Space Shuttle launch. She learned how to use a computer for the first time and met several of the astronauts that flew to space. During this time, June was an active member of Aldersgate United Methodist church where she helped begin their newsletter.

Another first for June was Mardi Gras in New Orleans where she photographed several balls and parades. Jean and Doug marched in the bands and the family attended both the Slidell parades as well as the big parades in New Orleans. She photographed the All American Dance

Team members at Super Bowl XX in New Orleans featuring former Superbowl Most Valuable Players. This included stars Bart Starr, Roger Stabach, Franc Harris, Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swan and Larry Csonka. She was then invited to stay for the game – it was a thrilling experience for her.

As a member of the Women’s Republican Club in 1988, she served as a photo volunteer and attended the Republican National Convention in New Orleans. She took photos at the convention, including of President George H.W. Bush, and met and shook his hand.

In 1988 Phil took on a new job at Mississippi Power and Light in Jackson, Mississippi and they moved to their new home in Brandon. June continued her photography with baseball teams in the area. Phil and June became members of Saint Marks United Methodist Church where June took a secretarial position. In 1991 the church built a new sanctuary and June helped with designing the office. She wrote the weekly newsletter, bulletin and helped to run the church office.

In 1995 June went to work for Madison United Methodist Church where she edited the “Messenger” newsletter with photo and church activities, brochures and other projects. June worked for Madison UMC for 11 years until her retirement.

After Phil’s death in 2012, June began working on a book that Phil had written and always talked about publishing. The book contained stories and wisdom about family life, conversations with family dogs, and work experiences. She edited his work into a book titled, “Miracle in the Corner Office” and learned the technical issues involved in book publishing. After publication, the book was sold through the Lemuria Book store in Jackson and given to friends and family.

In retirement, she remained passionate about her yard. Every spring she made her pilgrimage to Lakeland Yard and Gardening to add to her beautiful landscape. She loved spending time with her two grandchildren, Cole and Lauren, which included hours of throwing the baseball in the backyard or playing board games on the floor.

She had close friends through Abigale Circle at St. Marks and was a constant at numerous gatherings – photographing them all. Even in later years when she transitioned to living at the Blake in Ridgeland, she continued to take pictures on her iPhone of the daily activities for the residents. She made many new friends at the Blake and was loved by all.

June was preceded in death by her husband, Phil Miracle, and daughter, Jean Whitaker. She is survived by her daughter, Joan Smith, son Doug Miracle (Tracy), grandchildren, Cole Miracle and Lauren Lofton (Erick), and son-in-law Don Whitaker.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, April 30 at 11:00 a.m. at the Montgomery Cemetery in Madison. Friends of June are invited to attend the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Marks United Methodist Church in Brandon.