June Lorraine Graehling Mades, 96, passed away on Easter morning, April 12, 2020, at The Fountains of Hope assisted living facility, Sarasota, Florida of natural causes. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, at which time she will be laid to rest alongside her husband of 49 years, Donald Mades, at the Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, in Dixon, Illinois.
June was born in the family farmhouse on June 1, 1923. She was the first of four girls, with Evelyn, Lila and Eileen following. She was raised in Polo, Illinois, and graduated from Polo High School in 1940.
Her sophomore year of high school, June met her future husband, Donald Mades, at a Valentine’s Day dance. On October 4, 1941, June and Donald Mades were married in June’s family farmhouse. Beginning in 1952, together they raised a family of 3 children in Dixon, Illinois.
June was preceded in death by her husband Donald Mades; daughter, Cheryl Mades; sisters, Evelyn Shipper and Lila Hadaway; brother in law, Donald “Skip” Shipper; and many dear friends.
June, aka Grandma Mades, GiGi and G3, is survived by her children, Dean Mades (Joanne), Karen Petersen (Mike); sister, Eileen Graehling; her beloved grandchildren, Amanda Gillooly (Sean), Erin Vachereau (David), Brett Mades (Christine), Dani Dorman (Chris), Nikki Powills, Alyssa Powills; and her treasured great-grandchildren, Ashley Walco (Justin), Kaley, Noah, Madison, Quinton; and great-great grandchild, Emily.
June was an intelligent, caring, witty woman and was admired for her strong will and determination. She was a people person who enjoyed befriending people from all walks of life. A teacher at heart, she enjoyed sharing her life experiences, including stories from her childhood, world travels and her infinite knowledge of birds, plants and nature. June had a keen sense of humor, and was also known to share colorful stories and jokes. Travel and birding were lifelong passions. She had a phenomenal recollection of her travels, from interesting facts, to city names, and interactions with people. Her collection of artifacts was extensive and each had a history and story. She took pride in having visited all six continents, fifty states, and taken three cruises, but her love of the Southwest was greatest. As a lifelong birder, she could identify many species of birds from sight or sound.
June worked hard her whole life, yet enjoyed life to its fullest. Before the first grade, she helped with farm chores, hitching up the team of farm horses, and hand milking cows. In her high school years, she worked as a hired girl for local families during the summers. After high school graduation, she worked in the local meat locker, then as a buttonhole maker in a garment factory. During WWII while Don served in the Pacific Theater as a Navy Seabee from July 1943 until November 1945, she soldered bombs, was a seamstress altering officer’s uniforms, and welded ships in the shipyards at Long Beach, California and Seattle, Washington.
After the war they moved to Dixon, Illinois, raising their children in the house they built by hand. June continued to work outside of the home, often juggling several jobs at a time. She retired from Rockford Life Insurance Company, as an office manager at the age of 64. Upon retirement, Don and June became “snowbirds” and wintered in Tucson Arizona, and Sarasota Florida, making Sarasota her home after Don’s passing in August 1990.
June was an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Dixon, Daughter’s of American Revolution, Elks Club, Sarasota Audubon, Twelfth Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program, and Classroom on Wheels. She was an advocate of the Sarasota County Celery Fields wetland restoration project. She loved bowling and games, especially bingo and bridge. At 96 she continued to be a shrewd card and bridge player. June was very active within the Lake Tippecanoe community where she resided from 1994 until 2018 until she moved to The Fountains of Hope. June served on the Tippecanoe board, hosted bridge clubs, Kentucky derby parties, and loved entertaining family and friends. She developed many dear friendships over the years within the community.
June was an inspirational woman and touched many people’s lives. Through Facebook she continued to share her sense of humor and love with family and friends. She will be greatly missed but not forgotten. To be sure, there will be many June stories shared for years to come.
A quote from June captures the essence of the woman she was. “You can do anything if you work hard at it. Education would have made it easier but I had a lot of fun learning the hard way.”
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmsrobartsfuneralhome.com for the Mades family. Or mailed to Dean Mades (7231 S. Leewynn Dr., Sarasota, FL 34240) and Karen Petersen (1106 Denbigh Dr., Iowa City, IA 52246).
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