June Waldbjorn

June Rose Heller Waldbjorn, longtime E. Wenatchee resident, passed away on Monday, December 18th, 2023 at Colonial Vista Rehab. She was surrounded by family and friends and knew she was going to heaven. Her service will be January 20th, at 1:30, Eastmont Baptist Church, 400 S. Kentucky Ave. officiated by her nephew, Pastor Michael Heller of Wendall, Idaho. Burial will be 1:00 on Friday, January 19th at the Wenatchee Cemetary. June was born June 6th,1925, in Gooding, Idaho, to Otto and Ethyl Heller. Another name was planned at her birth, but the doctor said she was too pretty for that name, so June it was. The flower of this month is a rose. June was the youngest of four siblings, David, Jasper, and Esther. She grew up in Gooding and graduated from the local high school. The family belonged to the Southern Baptist Church, owned the local cold storage and butcher store, and had a summer cabin north of Sun Valley on Baker Creek by Easley Hot Springs. June loved movies and worked as a theater usher to watch the films and earn some spending money. She wasn’t allowed pop and passed that restriction on to her daughters. She still had most of her teeth, so something has to be said for that pop ban. June wanted to be a journalist and went to the University of Redlands, CA to pursue her dream. She apparently enjoyed a social life while there, but we will never know exactly what it was as her scrapbook is filled with an interested form of shorthand. She continued her education in Pocatello and Moscow, Idaho after spending a year in the sun. Her advisor talked her into an education degree, focusing on English. She married Douglas Kramer in 1947 and began teaching English and drama in Genesee and then in Lewiston, Idaho. After Doug graduated law school, they moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, raised two daughters, and a variety of animals including chickens, lambs, steer, horses, and dogs. Activities June enjoyed included the Episcopal Church, Eastern Star, P.E.O., spending time at their house in Sun Valley, skiing, and gardening on the farm. Her favorite vegetable was asparagus, which Susan and Nancy were sent to find in neighboring orchards and canal banks. Farm living wasn’t a natural way of life, but mom was a trooper for 9 years sewing, canning, gardening, chasing animals, and playing taxi. In 1967, June and the girls moved to Moscow to work on her master’s degree in guidance counseling. A year later they moved to E. Wenatchee where June worked at Sterling Junior High as a counselor until she retired in 1993. In 1976, June married Gordon Waldbjorn. She often said she was so lucky to find him and that he was the love of her life. They lived in E. Wenatchee for the remainder of their lives. They enjoyed fishing, hunting, traveling, and spending time at Lake Chelan on their various boats. They spent fifteen summers fishing, clamming, and oystering at their home in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. In the valley, June was active in Eastern Star, 76 Yr member of P.E.O., a life master of duplicate bridge, Literacy Council volunteer, and Mary Kay lady. She was an accomplished seamstress and knitter, learning these skills from her mother. She also enjoyed reading, and spending time with family. She discovered the joys of cruising when she was in her 80s and loved it so much she took three different cruises to Alaska. She also spent many happy hours at Lake Chelan Yacht Club. June was preceded in death by Gordon in 1999, her siblings and parents. She continued to live independently in her own home until she became ill in November 2023. June is survived by Susan Blumenshein, Nancy Jones, Tom (Jonette) Waldbjorn, Joanie Rung, and Karen (Brian)Jones, 9 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to: Pat Neumann, 564 Sunday Drive, E. Wenatchee, WA, 98802, P.E.O.-Chapter CP. Memorial funds will be used for continuing education for Wenatchee area women, a cause near and dear to June.

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June Waldbjorn

June 6, 1925 - December 18, 2023