June Powell

Phyllis June Rose (Dach) Powell, better known to her family and friends as June, passed away at UNM Hospital on Friday, January 3, at the age of 90.

A resident of Albuquerque for more than 60 years, June was born on June 18, 1934, in Argyle, Illinois, to Adam and Emma Dach as the youngest of eight children. When she was in third grade, her family moved to Rockford, Illinois, leaving behind the one-room schoolhouse she'd been attending. She graduated from Rockford's West High School in 1952. She married her high school sweetheart, Buster Powell, on May 5, 1955, in the Alaska Territory, where he was serving in the Army. They celebrated their 55th anniversary prior to his death in 2011.

They moved to Albuquerque with their three small children in 1959, where Buster worked at General Electric (then ACF). Following the birth of their fourth child, the family moved to the north valley where they always had a huge garden, supplying vegetables for neighbors as well as their own family. Although June had various jobs throughout her lifetime - dry cleaners, car hop, bank teller - her long-term career was with Albuquerque Public Schools, working in several school cafeterias from 1971-1994. June's love of cooking carried over from home to school and back again. One of her family's favorites was the yeast rolls she learned to bake when working at Mission Elementary School. She always started baking cookies just after Thanksgiving, and by the time visitors arrived for Christmas, festive tins of gingerbread, snickerdoodles, jingle bells, coconut date balls, raspberry almond cookies, fudge, and a host of others were stacked on every kitchen counter. She embraced New Mexican cuisine and loved to try new recipes such as pozole, chile rellenos (from their garden), empanadas, biscochitos, and tamales.

Creating unique handmade gifts was her specialty, and she could always be found with a crochet hook or a pair of knitting needles in hand, making baby booties, sweaters, hats, blankets, doilies, potholders, and more. She could look at any crocheted or knitted item and figure out how to make it for herself. She was also skilled at ceramics, quilting, and various other sewing and yarn crafts. She loved to read, especially science fiction and romance. Every morning, she could be found at the kitchen table with her cup of coffee and the daily crossword puzzle. When her children were young, she was very involved in her church, Christ Lutheran, where she was a founding member and served on the altar guild, Lutheran Women's Missionary League, and helped with Vacation Bible School. Although her only musical experience consisted of glee club in high school and singing hymns at church, she made sure that all four of her children learned to play a musical instrument: two on violin, one on cello, and one on clarinet and bassoon.

After retiring in 1994, June and Buster enjoyed visiting family and seeing the sights as they traveled across the United States. During the summer, they hiked, fished, explored, and relaxed while watching hummingbirds and other wildlife around their mountain retreat near Cuba, New Mexico. When the children were small, that cabin was the site of many rousing games of Canasta, which June usually won. During the winter, they spent time at South Padre Island where she collected seashells, using them to create a variety of crafts.

June is survived by two daughters, Carol and husband, Tim (Amarillo, TX) and Merrilou and husband, Ken (Albuquerque); two sons, Jim (San Diego, CA) and Bruce and wife, Shary (Albuquerque); as well as six grandchildren, Alexander and wife, Elizabeth (Wiesbaden, Germany), Jonathan and wife, Felicia (Amarillo), Jackson (Brentwood, CA), Chris (Brentwood), Shawna and husband, Victor (Albuquerque), and Ashley (Santa Fe). She also leaves behind six great-grandchildren, Lillian (Wiesbaden), Ezra, Isaac, and Eli (Amarillo), and Jordan and Isabella (Albuquerque). She is preceded in death by her husband, Buster, and her seven siblings.

Her earthly body will be cremated, and the family will hold a private celebration of life in the mountains next summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in June's memory be sent to the Alzheimer's Association, NM Office, 6731 Academy Road NE, Suite A, Albuquerque, NM 87109, or online at https://alz.org/newmexico.