After spending a beautiful life in Whitefish surrounded by her beloved family, June Helen Barnes passed away peacefully on Nov. 9, 2014. She was 87 years old.
June was lucky to find her soul mate, Lyle Barnes, early in life. June and Lyle married shortly after high school and spent decades raising their children, Vicki, Dale, Craig and Lisa at their beloved family home on Armory Road.
June was a powerhouse in the kitchen. She loved to cook, feed people, and was organic even before it was popular. The day that June went to heaven, a fierce and terrific rainstorm showered down on Whitefish. Her family looked at this storm and remarked, “It sounds like Mom is trying to take over someone's kitchen upstairs. From the looks of it, the takeover may not be going so well.”
June's Beauty Salon, a hairdressing business run out of her home, was a hub of laughter, gossip, hot rollers and friendship for neighborhood ladies. June's “ladies” became extended family.
Weekends were spent up at the Tacheny homestead near Polebridge with the kids and grandkids. While Lyle spent time along the river, June enjoyed staying back to play card games with the children. Thanks to June, all Barnes children became ace pinochle players and anyone planning on marrying into the family had to learn the game before they got “Junie's” seal of approval.
June blossomed as an artist during retirement. She took up china painting as a hobby, along with her sister Marilu Putnam. The hobby soon became a full-fledged obsession. China cabinets filled and blank wall space became sparse as June became a mass producer of fantastic floral creations.
June loved telling stories and, even more, loved laughing at the misfortune of others. It was common knowledge in the family that if you fell down in front of Grandma June, be prepared to expect rolling laughter instead of help. Heaven help you if the injury involved blood or tears. June's assistance came in the form of retelling the funny story over and over again.
June had a strong and powerful voice in the family. She taught her daughters and granddaughters how to be strong and powerful women. However, if you tried to sneak an O'Henry bar from the freezer before Christmas Day, well, you'd hear about it. June was one part spicy and one part sweet.
“June joined husband Lyle, granddaughter Karlee and countless other loved ones in heaven.”
Grandma June was loved, feared and adored by all.
A service celebrating June will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Whitefish.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Whitefish Food Bank.