June 1, 1935 — January 12, 2019
Memorial service:
Monday, January 21 at 11:30 a.m.
Mountainview Christian Fellowship
791 East 27th Avenue, Vancouver
(Enter through the door off of Prince Albert Street)
All are welcome.
June Kathleen Deboer (Furlong), 83, of Vancouver, B.C., passed away peacefully on January 12, 2019.
She was born in Montreal, Quebec and we wonder if the date of her birth, the first of June, usurped any other names her parents — Catherine/Kathleen Josephine Furlong (nee Toman) and Wilfrid James Furlong — had planned for her.
If so, it would only be the first in a string of unexpected results. Turns out, June liked to surprise people.
She was the second-oldest of four siblings, three girls and a boy. “June bug” seemed to be born with a positive attitude and always saw the silver lining.
As a young woman, she was popular with suitors. And when the one who caught her eye — a dark-haired Dutch immigrant with movie star good looks — moved to British Columbia from Quebec, June followed him out West. They married in the 1950s and had two children in the 1960s.
She endured many tough times, eventually returning to her banking career and raising two teenagers on her own.
A ray of light came into her life when she became “Gramma” in the 1980s. She was a natural in the role, becoming chief child spoiler and enjoying countless shenanigans and many fun years with her pint-sized partner in crime.
When June suffered a devastating stroke in the early 1990s, her story could have ended there. Just 58 years old, she wasn’t expected to survive.
But she did.
Then, the specialists said she would remain in a vegetative state.
She didn’t.
However, she would never walk again, right?
Wrong.
While she was left with physical and cognitive impairments, including right-side paralysis and the inability to speak, June walked with the help of a cane and went on to live a full and inspirational life for the next 25 years at Little Mountain Place (LMP), where she was known for her feisty personality, particular preferences, and above all, her kindness and sunny disposition.
In fact, travelling through the halls of the facility with her always took longer than expected, because everyone (how does she know all these people?) had to stop and say hello.
Prior to her stroke, June was an expert knitter, so she funnelled her creativity into art projects, painting, crafts and gardening. She learned to write with her non-dominant hand and was a voracious reader (John Grisham was a favourite author). June could usually be found doing crossword or seek-a-word puzzles, and she was a regular participant in sing-alongs, socials, bus outings, pub afternoons and more.
She loved visiting with animals, getting her hair done, and manicures/pedicures. And definitely food. No breakfast, thank you, just black coffee. But then, bring on the cuisine… meat, fish, fowl, fruit, veggies, sweets and all things gluten — almost anything was enjoyed with gusto.
When June lost her right leg to an infection about five years ago, she became wheelchair-bound, but when settled into her sturdy sport model, close to the ground, she ran circles around LMP staff, her “good” leg and arm propelling her with considerable agility.
June was indefatigable. But there was one more surprise in the works, unfortunately, a sinister one.
When a cough persisted in June of 2018, the diagnosis was grim: advanced terminal lung cancer. The oncologist gently noted that nine out of 10 people with June’s prognosis would likely have about three or four months to live. Knowing nothing of her gumption, of course, he relayed the stats incorrectly. June was the one out of 10 people who would blow past that prediction.
June took the news like a trooper, comforting her distraught daughter and granddaughter and kissing the doctor’s hand. This was no flamboyancy; it was a signature June move.
Nearly seven months later, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, June took her last breath and passed into peace and wholeness once more. In order to help her family with the transition, she waited until all were present to say goodbye before she left.
June was predeceased by her former husband Jan Francies de Boer in October, 2000 and is survived by her daughter Paula Carlson, son John de Boer, and granddaughter Lisa Carlson, as well as a sister (Danette Higgins, nee Furlong) and nephew (Craig Higgins).
If you would like to honour June and her courageous life, we ask that you offer a smile to someone sad, help to someone who needs it, and a word of encouragement to those who grow weary on this path we all travel together.
It would be a signature June move.
In lieu of flowers or other gifts, donations in June’s name would be gratefully received by the following non-profit organizations:
• Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) https://pads.ca/
• Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society https://www.volunteercancerdrivers.ca/
• Heart and Stroke Foundation https://www.heartandstroke.ca/
"May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand."
— Traditional Irish blessing
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