Obituary: Howard, June Margaruite (Macdonald)
Age 91
HOWARD, June Margaruite (MacDonald)
June 12, 1924-
February 11, 2016
June Howard was the second of four children born to Marcus and Ellen (Reilly) MacDonald in Anaconda, MT on June 12, 1924.
She graduated from St. Peter’s Catholic Grade School in 1938, Anaconda High School in 1942, and attended Spokane Community College in the 1960s.
In addition to raising seven children as a homemaker, she worked as a Bakery Clerk at Ames IGA Bakery, and a Credit Card Clerk at Sears at Northtown, Spokane and Seattle.
She was an active member of Junior Women at the local and state level in Montana, and the Altar Society at St. Thomas More Parish in Spokane.
As a child of parents of Irish immigrants and having been raised during the depression, June was accustomed to hard work and adversity.
She was a veracious reader of books and newspapers, she enjoyed camping, rodeos, dancing, and baking.
After graduating from high school, she moved by herself to Los Angeles, CA and lived in a boarding house.
She sent a portion of each paycheck home to her parents to help finance her brother’s college education.
She returned to Anaconda after her first marriage, but life was hard raising children with one income when the Anaconda Smelter went on strike.
To provide them a better future, her family moved to Spokane in 1960.
While her youngest child was still small, June went to work in a bakery, but soon attended community college where she earned a business degree.
June strongly believed that her children needed more education after high school to take care of themselves, and encouraged them to attend community or four-year colleges.
~There was always music playing in her home.~ June’s Irish upbringing encouraged music and dancing.
In her own home, she always had the radio, stereo or television on to musical programs.
Earlier in her life, June sang in the church choir as well as Sweet Adaline’s.
She loved to dance, and she and her husband Don participated in many Dixieland Band related travels.
They performed with the Battleground Washington Dixieland Band.
Her favorite song to sing was “Summertime.”
She often sang along with the pianist who performed at her senior living facility.
Her last public performance was a year ago with Tom Grant and his band at Tommy O’s Restaurant in Vancouver, WA.
She was 90 years young at the time.
She was preceded in death by her parents; siblings: Barney MacDonald, Darlene Anderson and Bruce MacDonald; her grandson Erik Wells; daughter-in-law Carol Wells; and husband Don “Bud” Howard.
She is survived by seven children: Claude “Skip” Wells, Bruce (Linda) Wells, Michael “Mick” (Peggy) Wells, Joel “Jody” (Jackie) Wells, June “Sue” Chinn, Molly Loncosty, and Anthony “Tony” (Teri) Wells; three stepchildren: Don “Ham” (Pam) Howard, Steve (Carol) Howard, and Zoe Howard; twenty-two grandchildren, twenty-eight great-grandchildren; and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins.
She was the matriarch of both the Reilly and MacDonald clans.
A Memorial Service will take place on Saturday, April 16th, at St. Thomas More Parish, 505 West St. Thomas More Way, Spokane, WA at 11:00 am.
June has requested that in lieu of flowers, you make a donation to your local abused women’s shelter.