A tribute to a life well lived

June Eleanor Wakeman Needham passed away on Sept. 7, 2018. She was 96 years old.

June was born on June 25, 1922, to parents Harry and Laudra (Bissel) Wakeman in Pontiac, Michigan. She had three older sisters, Irene, Laudra and Virginia who all preceded her in death. The family lived in Pontiac.

June went to college at the University of Arizona in Tucson where she met her husband Claude. They married in 1942 just before Claude enlisted in the Army.

Claude's family had settled in Glendale, California, where he grew up. Claude was a cheerleader and a track star in highschool. World War II changed many lives. After the war the family settled in Glendale. Claude followed his father's lead and became an insurance specialist and eventually took over the family business. Together they raised three children.

June was always involved in her childrens' lives volunteering for the PTA, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Little League. After the children grew up she worked for her father-in-law at his insurance agency in North Hollywood, which eventually June and Claude purchased and moved to Glendale.

She loved to ballroom dance with Claude, read and play bridge. She was good at making friends and meeting new people. She belonged to Gamma Phi Beta, was president of her Rotary Ann Club, president of the PTA and president of the Tehachapi Guild where she volunteered.

When her husband died in 1995 after a battle with cancer, June bought a home in Clovis to be close to her daughter Judy. She maintained a home in Pine Mountain Club where she had many friends. This home was a family summer home and many a holiday was spent there. She eventually sold the house and bought a home in Tehachapi to be near her daughter Claudia in 2003.

She traveled between her two homes until she was unable to do so.

While in Tehachapi she played bridge almost every week, keeping her mind active. She was in poor health for the last two years. When she passed she was ready to make her transition from this world and we celebrate her passing with great memories and love. We are thankful for her presence in our lives; she made everyday better.

June is survived by her three children: Judy Rice and her husband Craig; Ronald Needham and his wife Dawn; Claudia White and her partner Tom Baker. Grandchildren: Sarah Rice, Amy Milhous and her husband Mike, Nicole Dilello and her husband Matthew, Brian Needham and his wife Valeria, Jonathan Adam Bailey and his wife Elizabeth, and Alysia Bailey and her partner Christopher Gripkey. June has 13 great grandchildren.

June was preceded in death by her husband, Claude; her three sisters; her parents and her grandson Jeffrey Bailey.

A special thanks to the caring staff at Mountain Vista Senior Care in Tehachapi, Hoffman Hospice and to all the caring friends she made in Tehachapi. You added much to her life.

A celebration of June's life will take place on Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. at Tehachapi Community Church located at 100 East E Street in Tehachapi. Come help us celebrate her life.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in June's memory to the Salvation Army of Tehachapi or to the Tehachapi Community Church.

Wood Family Funeral Service, Inc. has been entrusted with June's care.