June Gibbons

She was born September 29, 1924, in Frankfort, Kentucky, to John Howard (Boot) and Mary Martha (Mattie) Hawkins Showalter. She had two older brothers (Jack and Fred), and a younger brother and sister (Roger and Mildred).

As a little girl June attended St. Philip School in Melbourne, Kentucky. St. Philip's was a two-room school house and the first four grades were presided over by the kind but strict Sister Mary Paschal. June loved school and she loved Sister, and she worked very hard at her studies. Although the family was very poor during the 1930s, her parents wanted the kids to have a good education and supported their efforts, listening to them recite their lessons in the evening to make sure they would be ready for the next school day.

In early 1937, the Ohio River breached its banks and the family fled their home for higher ground. Boot, along with the family dog, BillDog, stayed behind to guard the house from looters. Mattie and the children finally reached St. Anne Convent, where they and many other local families stayed for several weeks. The nuns there held classes for the children, and were so impressed with young June's academic prowess that they obtained a scholarship for her to a private girls' school for the following school year. June entered Academy of Notre Dame de Providence as a freshman, just before her 13th birthday. Four years later, she received a scholarship to a private women's college, Villa Madonna (now Thomas More College), where she graduated in 1945.

When World War II ended, June's father brought the family to Washington State and they settled in Bremerton where Boot had a job in the Navy yard. Then as now, a degree in English and French didn't get you much in the job market, so June obtained her teaching certificate. She taught high school English, first at Kapowsin High School in Pierce County, and later at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. A group of friends in Tacoma were acquainted with a young Navy veteran attending the University of Washington that they felt June just had to meet. A dinner party (where they were the only guests) brought them together, and their fates were sealed. June met Indiana native James Gibbons on January 2, 1956 and they were married that June 16, at St. Frances Cabrini Church in Tacoma. They spent their honeymoon summer in glamorous Gary, Indiana (where Jim had a job before starting graduate school for social work) and then returned to the Northwest to begin their life together.

June and Jim had three children: They settled first in Seattle, then in Steilacoom in 1962 and then in Tempe, Arizona in 1968, where June earned her Master of Arts (in History) from Arizona State University. She taught English at Seton High School in Chandler, tutored college students, and worked registration at ASU as a seasonal worker for many years. A lifelong Catholic, she was active in the Ladies' Sodality at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. Her green thumb got plenty of use in the Saguaro Garden Club, and she and Jim were known for their beautiful antiques and lovely yards. Through the years she enjoyed square dancing, needlepoint, calligraphy, quilting, and painting with watercolors. She had a deep appreciation for music of most kinds and she loved the ballet. Being a tireless letter writer she kept up with many lifelong friends, including those from her days at Villa Madonna and the old gang from Tacoma, throughout her life. Being a Showalter, she had a tremendous fondness for animals, especially cats, and she would go out to look for the morning star with her kitty, Miss Boo, every day.

After Jim retired, the two of them decided they had had enough of the relentless Arizona sun and returned to the place they loved best: Western Washington. The settled in Kirkland, close to many of their old pals from their Tacoma days. June joined the Kirkland Women's Club (National Federation of Women's Clubs) and made many new friends there. Jim died in 1997, but June remained in Kirkland for another 13 years. She was a voracious reader; National Federation of Women's Clubs honored her for reading more books than any other member in a single year. Always independent, June lived alone after Jim's death until her health required her to move into assisted living, and later into full time nursing care. She spent the last 5 years of her life in Seattle, closer to her daughter, Mary Jane.

As a child, June had been taught to pray for the blessing of an easy death; in this, God was truly merciful, and allowed her to pass in her sleep. For that, her family is most grateful.

June Showalter Gibbons was preceded in death by her husband, James P. Gibbons, her parents and siblings, and her nephew Timothy Mark Showalter, as well as much extended family and many dear friends. She is survived by her son Tom and his wife Christia; daughter Mary Jane; several nieces and nephews, and cousins, and two sisters in law; and many lifelong friends, Jane and Jim Jewell, Bob McCone, and Mary Schwartz to name but a few. Mom had great faith and no doubt was greeted in Heaven by many who loved her, including some very special friends who had been waiting patiently at the Rainbow Bridge, among them BillDog, Lucifer P. Deaton, Teddy and her beloved Miss Boo.

We love you, Mama! And we will miss you. May you rest in peace, in the company of the angels.