Athena June Laurel

June was born in Galveston, Texas to James A. Alexander and Sina Landers Alexander on June 6, 1931. She was the third of four children. She went to school in Galveston at the Urseline Academy until she was 16, when she transferred to Our Lady of the Lake High School in San Antonio. After graduation, she attended college at Our Lady of the Lake for two years before returning to Galveston to care for her ailing father.

On June 2, 1952, June married the love of her life, Ernest G. Laurel at St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston, Texas. June and Ernie were happily married for 26 years until his death in 1979. Together they had two children, Lorraine “Lorrie”, and Andrew “Andy”.

June worked as a secretary and Administrative Assistant at Southwest Foundation for Research and Education for 23 years. She had many friends among her co-workers and lots of stories about the scientists with whom she worked and the research they did in developing vaccines. After Ernie’s death, June quit her job and went back to college at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA). She graduated with a BBA degree in Accounting.

She was a convert to Catholicism and practiced that religion for most of her adult life. However, she maintained a relationship with the members and staff at St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church. She loved being a member of The Daughter’s of Penelope and cooking for the Greek Funstival every year. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi and the P.E.O. Sisterhood. June enjoyed playing cards, especially Bridge and Solitaire. She loved crossword puzzles, sudoku, and jigsaw puzzles. She was an avid reader and an amazing cook! June loved her family, and she welcomed and embraced everyone we brought home.

June is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Chris Alexander, his wife Jo and son Chris, Jr., her brother Harry Alexander, his wife Mary and daughters Teri and Barbara, also, her sister Louise Kelly. Her sister-in-law Lydia Koger and her husband Richard, sister-in-law Celia Rademacher and her husband Harold, and brother-in-law Noel Laurel as well as her beloved husband, Ernie Laurel.

June is survived by her children Lorrie Miller (Andy) and Andy Laurel (Linda), her grandchildren Meredith Miller Lanclos (Chris), Geoff Miller (Kim), Jane Anne Miller, Charlotte Laurel and Samantha Laurel, great grandchildren Tristan Lanclos, Michaela Miller, Grayson Miller, and Adele Miller.

Special thanks to the staff of Beehive Homes of Goshen, Kentucky as well as the staff of the Barton House Senior Living in Louisville, Kentucky. Thank you to Hosparus Health of Louisville for the care provided during the last week of June’s life.

Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at Sunset Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio, Texas 78218.

Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, https://give.bcrf.org; or the charity of your choice.