United Church of Christ
Spotlight
The Dalton Family
Eric, his wife Kelly
and their daughters,
Morgan and Ashley
June met George at a Japanese American Citizens League dance in 1955. They married in 1957 and moved to California. They moved north from Montebello to Lompoc in 1966.
June gave birth to three children: Steve, Dawn and Glen. She worked as a teacher’s aide in Special Education for fifteen years. Next to her family, her church was her top priority.
She served on the diaconate, in Christian Education and as Chairperson of the Trustees for at least ten years.
Historically speaking, church trustees are usually men handy with pipe wrenches. June may have been the first woman to chair the Trustees. She didn’t jump in with a plunger like a guy might when things broke down, she did research and got estimates. People remember that while other leaders simply made announcements on Sunday about workdays, June personally phone called everybody. More people came and the work was easier. She took it seriously.
In recent years, even after her scoliosis set in, she would show up at work days and clean windows down near the floor where she could reach. Then she would apologize that she could not do more.
And it was not just work days. For Potlucks Nannie Wilkins told me, “June would always bring something that you knew she put effort into.”
June was reliable. She drove people to church for years. When it was time to decorate for Christmas, June was there decorating the tree. When it was time to take it all down, June was there sweeping up.
Her experience was in child care so she was a natural in Christian Education. I can remember when my daughter was little she had a mind of her own, but June could take her off to Sunday School quickly and graciously with no problem. It was a gift.
Combined with her unassuming nature, June had a simple grace which smoothed interpersonal relationships with kids, and adults. Even when the church went through rocky years, she was part of the core group which vowed to keep the church open even if it were only for ten people. And they succeeded.
I talked with longtime members of our church. When I asked about June I found nobody could think of even one story of anyone ever being upset with June. Not once in forty years.
After her relatives and friends spoke at her funeral, George himself went to the podium. He talked of June’s unconditional love and her total support for him.
As Addie Singleton said of June, “She was a wonderful woman.”
We love you June, and we will deeply miss you. - Valley of the Flowers UCC.
June was born in Kingsburg, CA in 1934. She lived her early childhood in Dinuba, the second of four children of Harvey and Akiko Iwata. Her father was a farmer and semi-pro baseball player. June’s softball skills would later make him proud. The family was incarcerated at Poston, Arizona, in 1942. June was seven. Their next stop was Cleveland. When the war ended, Arlington, Virginia, where June graduated high school. She wanted to become a flight attendant, but was rejected for being too short. She went to work at a credit company, but found it stressful. She did not like turning down applicants, said her sister Shirley.
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June & George Yoshitake.
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More
Remembering
June Asako Yoshitake
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Pastor: Chuck Arnold
Organist: Ruth Lee
Adult Classes: 8:45 am
Sunday Service: 10:00 am
Modern Gospel Music Rally
First Saturdays: 7:00 pm
LMA 2011-2012 Season
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