Jeneva June Lince-Swan Gano

Jeneva June Gano, born on August 1, 1917 to Edmond Thomas Lince and Evarona Lince in Selah, Washington, died on December 30, 2013. June was orphaned as an infant, her mother, father and sister died as a result of the world Spanish flu epidemic. June was immediately adopted by her maternal aunt, Katherine Olivia Swan and George W. Swan of Seattle.

She was reared and educated in Seattle during the 1920’s and 30’s. There June experienced the Depression which left an indelible impression as to the need for thrift and suspicion of the “flim flam”. As a child she grew without siblings, her adoptive parents showered her with all of the culture that displaced Southerners could bestow upon a child, (a lady does not proceed in public without a hat and gloves). Mom became a prodigy of the violin and at an early age played with the Seattle Youth Symphony and on the Orpheum stage as a vaudeville act, until the advent of more risqué acts terminated her career. Music remained one of the most important aspects of Mom’s life, until her last days she found enjoyment in either playing the violin, the piano or listening to all types of music. Upon graduation from Roosevelt High in 1935, Mom was invited to visit her cousin Vydell Palmer in Selah, who was providing a birthday party for Mom. At the party she met a young man, Walter Gano, who wore a beautiful leather coat. After the party Walter invited her for a car ride to Lookout Point, several months later, February 15, 1936 they were married, and remained so until Dad’s death in July 2009.

After their marriage their life began at the Gano farmstead in the Ahtanum. At the time there was no electricity in the vicinity, limited running water in the house; water was heated on the wood cook range for the Saturday night bath. This change must have been a shock to a sophisticated Seattle girl, but Mom never uttered a bad word about the experience, rather she said the most beautiful Christmas tree she ever saw was the candle lit tree in the Gano parlor.

At the beginning of World War II Mom and Dad moved to Yakima where Dad would be closer to work, this continued until 1947 when Grandpa Gano needed help on the farm. Mom agreed to move back provided Dad buy her a piano. Mom’s treasured piano remains in the family, passed on to a new generation of music lovers.

Mom took to rural life with determination, it was recorded that she rode a horse… once. Soon Mom and Dad had three children with a fourth added as after thought. We were all raised on the farm in the Ahtanum where Mom was in charge of the children, growing the garden for the year’s supply of vegetables, making sure that the children did their chores, including picking the beans of the longest row imaginable, and beautifing the home. Mom hand painted the cabinetry and doors with vine flowering, it remains today at the farmstead, and created new flooring by stamping paint dabbed sponges on the old linoleum flooring, all the while shepherding four children and keeping house with few modern conveniences. Luckily we had two people, Grandpa Gano (Ira) and Grandma Gano (Margaret) who lived upstairs who helped. We were the Waltons or as we prefer, the Waltons were the Ganos.

Because she believed that the local kids were not getting a “fair” shake in the judging of their 4H projects, Mom proposed to the local Grange that they start their own fair. The Ahtanum Valley Fair was the result, now known as the West Valley Fair. Mom painted the street banner announcing the fair and placed it over the street in “midtown” Ahtanum, one of Beatty and Sanger log trucks carried it away. Mom in a telephone call, using the correct expletives a truck driver could understand, had the banner returned and replaced.

We were a tight knit community in those days, on Saturday nights we would gather at the Grange hall and after pot luck (Grandma Shockley’s fruit salad was the best) would dance, young and old alike, everyone together, with Mom and Florin Zirkle providing the music.

Normal families wonder where we get our “sense” of humor. Here is an insight, one April first, Mom put cardboard into our sandwiches where bologna was to be expected; she put salt in the sugar bowl of her daughter’s tea set; and invited us to a “scotch” picnic which resulted, in the next day, the hoeing of thistles from the pasture.

Once her children were old enough to care for themselves, Mom entered the work force outside of the home, she spent many years as the head cook at Summitview Elementary and later when she and Dad moved to Edmonds she became a lead foreperson in the manufacturing of aviation electronics.

In their retirement, Mom and Dad spent many years living in the Port Townsend area where she spent her time tending to her orchids, being a member of the local garden club and creating and crocheting clothes for her many dolls.

This remarkable woman was responsible for four children, 14 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren (and counting) and 11 great, great grandchildren (and counting).

June J. Gano is survived by her children, Evva Katherine Lange (Walt), Ira James Gano II, (Nancy), Ruth Ann Petersen (Byron) and Wade Elliot Gano (Judy), her grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Walter E. Gano and one grandchild Cindy Ann Petersen.

We wish to extend our gratitude to the wonderful staff at Ellen House; Cindy, Jena, Lynette, Jacque and Brandy for the wonderful care they provided to Mom following Dad’s death. Special thank you to Mr. Pianoman, Jerry Hobbs, for taking his time to play the piano at Ellen House, it was a special treat for Mom.

We have been blessed by having such a Mother and if you had tasted her chicken salad or heard her play the violin on Christmas Eve, you would agree.

Memorial services will be held on January 8, 2014 at 1:00 PM at Rainier Memorial Center, 2807 Terrace Heights Drive, Yakima. Memorial contributions may be made to the Yakima Area Arboretum & Bontanical Garden, 1401 Arboretum Drive, Yakima, WA 98901.