In loving memory ~ June Marie Baumbrough (nee Shultz) passed away on July 21, 2024, surrounded by family. She was pre-deceased by her husband, John, in June 2022. She had celebrated her 91st birthday on June 3rd.
June led an extremely busy life. Living and working on a farm, raising five kids (Shelley, Judy, Louise, Doug, and Buffy), and volunteering, she was always up by 5 am and rarely in bed before 11 pm. Among her many talents, June was an accomplished seamstress, with a keen sense of colour and style.
Her artistic eye was also evident in the many beautiful gardens she created on the farm over many decades. Spring, summer, and fall, no matter how busy, a day never went by without June spending some time working in her flower gardens. The winter months were spent visualizing and planning new flower beds, experimenting with colour, and plant combinations.
She loved the idea that her flowers provided habitat for birds and pollinators, in particular big bumblebees and butterflies. On most mornings during the gardening season, June would head outside to cut flowers from her gardens, ensuring there was always at least one flower arrangement in her home (there were usually several). They were often comprised of unexpected combinations of flowers, leaves, dried pods, or grasses that always caught one's eye and added a unique sense to the house.
She frequently said, "If you have flowers on the table, folks won't notice the dirt on the floor". June also spent a lot of time in her kitchen. She was an accomplished and confident cook, determined to create visually appealing and balanced meals using mostly food produced on the farm.
The smells of baking often filled the house. June's cinnamon buns and brownies were legendary and her triple-layer with custard Poppyseed cake was most often chosen by her kids as their birthday cake. June loved to have cookies with her tea (in addition to nibbling on her cookies, June loved other sweets, especially milk chocolate, candied ginger, and Turkish Delight).
Until recently, June's life on the farm included a menagerie of pets. There were always one or more cats (June's favourite), often dogs, and occasionally rabbits, rodents, ducks, and for a short time, a troublesome goat named Milly. Rarely were these critters deliberately chosen as pets, but instead were more often strays that simply showed up at the farm, or were brought home by members of the family (often accompanied by a woeful story used to convince June of the need for the "poor things" to live out their days on the farm).
In years past, June volunteered extensively in the community, most particularly helping out those organizations that were part of her kids' lives. The Girl Guides held a special place in her heart. Once her kids were grown, June worked off the farm selling women's clothing.
She loved the work and had great fun with her coworkers. She discovered that she was good at selling - a new skill to add to an already impressive list (e.g.
, re-upholstering furniture, re-wiring old lamps, driving farm vehicles, milking a cow). When not working or volunteering, June loved to hike and, to the astonishment of her children, she managed to hike without ever getting dirty or disheveled. She also loved road trips, which often included camping.
She went on trips with her husband, John, and various combinations of her kids and grandkids throughout the province of BC and often into the northwest United States. Her trip to East Africa was a highlight of her life. Afterwards, she often mentioned how much she loved giraffes and would frequently reminisce about feeding a Rothschild giraffe at an education and conservation centre in Nairobi, Kenya, saying, "Giraffes smell like grass.
" The family is grateful that June was able to take her last breath while still on the family farm, with her much loved and beautiful gardens visible out the window and wild birds (along with a pet peacock) providing a background soundscape. We extend our thanks and appreciation to the gracious staff of IHA, who supported us in making this happen. At June's request, there will be no formal service.
Should you wish to, please share any memories, stories, or photos of June at www.pleasantvalleyfh.com, beneath her obituary.
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