June 30, 1930 ~ Dec. 16, 2023
June E. Foley, 93, of South Dakota, passed away Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at the Good Samaritan Society in Miller, South Dakota, surrounded by family.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the First Presbyterian Church in Wessington, South Dakota, with Jeff Luce officiating. Visitation will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, followed by a 7 p.m. prayer service at Reck Funeral Home in Miller. Private burial will be at the Wessington Cemetery at a later date.
June was born on June 30, 1930, in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, to Roy Vrooman and Etta (Lindsay) Vrooman. She went to school and graduated in 1948 from Eagle Butte.
June attended South Dakota State University for a short time and then married Arvill Anderson on Jan. 1, 1949. June and Arvill lived together in Eagle Butte where they had four children: Jack in 1950, Ted in 1953, Debra in 1956, and Tami in 1959. June raised chickens while in Eagle Butte, dressing (butchering) up to 15 chickens a day for the local café and community members.
In 1961, they moved to Cody, Wyoming, and resided there until 1967 when they divorced. She traveled and worked various jobs before settling in Meeker, Colorado, in 1972 for about 10 years. While in Meeker, she and her husband ran the Berry Brother’s Ready Mix while living in and managing the Meeker Hotel. During the oil shale boom, she was secretary for Multi-Mineral Corporation on Piceance Creek. She then moved to Parachute, Colorado, where she met John Foley. They moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, around 1985. She retired from the University of Alaska in 1995. She moved to Wessington where she resided until 2017, and moved to the Courtyard Villa in Miller. There she met many great friends. She formed extraordinary relationships with Ruby Parmely and Ervin Mueller.
June had a love for hobbies. She loved beading, she created many beaded belts for people and one of her most cherished items was a beaded Rodeo Queen Banner she made for Tami. She also made beaded guitar straps as she had a talent for leatherwork. She had a knack and patience for needlepoint as well. Sewing was a known talent of June’s from leather to prom dresses to Barbie doll clothes. June was always baking something for her family. Even the dogs, whom she thought of as family, always received special food. Her grandsons grew up thinking chislic was a type of dog food. She was always trying something new and wanted the best of the best. June loved following her grandkids around the country and watching them compete in rodeos. Her love for her grandchildren was evident as well as her love for the neighborhood kids. Whenever they visited, June would send them home with whatever treats and extra trinkets she had, especially at Halloween.
Her green thumb kept the flowers in her yard beautiful; she had a love for the outdoors and all it had to offer. She could spend all day hunting for elk or deer, fishing, riding horses, snowmobiling, or gathering “beautiful” rocks and pinecones.
June was not a stranger to travel. She took several trips to Hawaii and went to Europe as a chaperone on a trip with her granddaughter. June attended the National Finals Rodeo every year for usually all 10 days.
When you think of June the words sassy, spicy, matter of fact, heart of gold, fearless, and witty (always having a one-liner) come to mind, she was even referred to once as a “firecracker of a lady,” which fit her personality perfectly.
June is survived by her son Ted of Parachute, Colorado; daughter Tami (Kent) Clarke of Wessington, South Dakota; grandchildren: Luke (Starla) Pelloni of Meeker, Colorado; Miranda (Allen) Jennings of Casper, Wyoming; Afton (Luke) Jennings of Casper, Wyoming; Jase (Ann) Clarke of Wessington, South Dakota; and Ty (Courtney) Clarke of Wessington, South Dakota; two step-granddaughters: Sommer (Phil) Welling of Rapid City, South Dakota; and Polly Clarke of Rapid City, South Dakota; 15 great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; brother, Ralph (Rosella) Vrooman; and sisters-in-law: Karen Vrooman and Linda Vrooman.
The deaths of her children, Jack and Debra, left a profound mark on her life. She helped care for her son, Jack, while he was battling a terminal illness.
She was preceded in death by her husbands Arvill and John; parents Roy and Etta Vrooman; sisters Lillian (Alfred Happy) Herren, Margaret (Jim) Filholm, and Jessie (Howard) Clauson; brothers Milford, Gordon (Inge), Gail, Donald, Earl, and Leroy; and daughter-in-law Becky.
Reck Funeral Home of Miller has been entrusted with June’s arrangements. Visit www.familyfuneralhome.net.
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