Thursday, May 2, 2024
With incredible sadness we announce the passing of June Barbara Hooper (nee Meyn) of Edmonds on December 1, 2023. Born September 3, 1947, to Henry and Barbara (Ippolito) Meyn of Topeka, Kansas, she was the eldest of four siblings.
June grew up in the small town of Frankfort, Kansas, before moving with her family to Yakima, Washington, when she was 15. After receiving a journalism degree from the University of Washington and finishing a two-month training program in Sierra Leon for the Peace Corps, June returned briefly to Seattle before taking a job with the Yakima Herald Republic.
As fate would have it, it was here that she met and married the love of her life, Al Hooper. They were happily married for almost 47 years before his passing in 2018.
June's kindhearted nature led to her pursuit of a master’s in nursing, focused on cross-cultural nursing. While working on her thesis, she found nursing positions across British Columbia helping underserved communities.
First with Health and Welfare Canada in the Chilcotin at Tatla Lake, and then as a community health nurse for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council from 1983 to 1985, regularly traveling by float plane along the west coast of Vancouver Island.
This was followed by work as a nurse at Nanaimo General Hospital and as a consultant on community health needs assessment for a First Nation's community in Tahsis, B.C.
After moving to Seattle, she was a nursing supervisor for the Seattle Indian Health Board, and lastly served with Seattle Downtown Public Health from 1990 until she retired in 2016. Always proud to be a part of the noble profession of nursing, June gained respect and solid friendships along the way.
June was one of the smartest, most compassionate people to walk the earth, always thinking about others and always going out of her way to help. Her sense of humor was catching, and her easy-going personality made her fun to be around.
She loved adventure and travel and was often at the heart of organizing get-togethers and trips. She collected memories with videos and photographs that she later shared.
Memories of family time spent in Washington, D.C., Sedona, New Orleans, Cape Cod, Charleston, Banff, Ottawa, Hawaii and especially, Tombstone, will always be cherished. Whistler, B.C., and Vancouver Island were also frequent destinations, as well as her trips abroad to Europe and Mexico with friends.
June and Al shared a love of books, movies, and music. June served as a purveyor of the latest works of fiction and nonfiction, introducing family members to unfamiliar authors and their works. She loved a good mystery and reliably recommended well-written and well-acted TV shows and movies.
That said, June was not averse to watching shows of lesser quality that provided much laughter and entertainment. Her knowledge of current events was unparalleled, as well as her love of everything Apple. She was a vocal supporter of women's and minority rights.
June is survived by siblings: Danae, Larry (Vera), and Leslie; by step-children Patty (Robin), Lee (Ron), and John (Lynn); by grandchildren Nathan, Graham, and Julian; and by niece Kami Croswhite.
She will be loved, sorely missed and always remembered by all fortunate enough to spend time in her light.
A Celebration of Life gathering will be held in the spring/summer 2024. Further information can be found by checking A Sacred Moment Funeral Services obituary page.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.
