Obituary: Brown, June Kay

BROWN, June Kay

June passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 27, 2012 in Spokane, Washington.

Born June 9, 1949 in San Francisco to Robert and Bertha (Stevens) Webb, June was a Nez Perce tribal member.

Growing up in San Mateo, California, she spent her virtually all her summers in Kooskia, Idaho, at the maternal family home (Dorcus Miller Harrison) along the Clearwater River, where she loved to swim and explore with her brother and sister.

She received her B.A.

degree in Sociology from the University of California -Berkeley, a Juris Doctorate from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, and a Masters in Public Health (Behavior Science) from U.C.

Berkeley.

June’s brother and sister are also Cal alums, and hardly ever was the Big Game with Stanford missed by her family.

June was an accomplished ballerina who danced professionally for the San Francisco Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet and the New York City Ballet, which took her on travels throughout the country and to Europe.

Along with her husband Ed, since divorced, she visited Japan four times on goodwill ambassador programs with San Mateo’s Sister City Association.

She later worked as the Program Director for the State Bar of California’s Lawyer’s Personal Assitance Program before moving to Spokane in 1994.

In Spokane, June raised Swedish Warmblood horses and owned and operated the White Hawk Equestrian Center.

She also served as Executive Director of the Native Health Clinic in Spokane, and as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene.

She will be remembered for her generosity, her witty sense of humor, her love of animals and her famous pineapple upside down cake.

Her memory will be carried in the hearts of her two daughters, Whitney and Lia Brown, both of Spokane, her sister Carol Webb of Coeur d’Alene, her brother Gordon Webb of Danville, California, her 1-1/2 year old granddaughter Elliott Eubanks, and a Chihuahua named Wilson.

A memorial service will be held on her birthday, June 9th, at the Wa-A-‘Yas Community Center in Kamiah, Idaho at 4:30 p.m., with dinner to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent “In memory of June Brown” to Transitions, 3104 W. Fort George Wright Drive, Spokane, WA 99224.