June Boles Greene

Late in the evening on November 8, 2022, our beloved Mimi and Mother departed this world surrounded by her loving family.

June was born on January 13, 1927 in Elkin, NC in the tiny hospital above Royall Drug Store on Main Street.  She was the only child of Ellen Minick Boles and Robert Gray Boles.  She was predeceased by her son James (Jimmy) Edwin Pardue, Jr., her parents, her husband Ralph Edsel Greene and her son-in-law Clawson Williams Jernigan.

June is survived by her daughter Dawn Jernigan, grandsons Gray and Kenan and their wives Carly and Annie, and her great-grandson Everett Gray Jernigan, who turned 1 on November 9 ^th and was the light of June’s world for the final year of her life.

June, also called “Junebug” by some of her friends, grew up on West Main Street in Jonesville, NC, directly across the street from Jonesville United Methodist Church, which was her social and spiritual home for her entire life.  From the stories she told about her childhood, it was reminiscent of the television show “Our Gang” (The Little Rascals). Since her father was one of fourteen children, she had too many first cousins to count.  Many of them lived in the Jonesville area.  There were also many children of her generation who lived on or near West Main Street.  They forged friendships that lasted their entire lives.  They played together, went to church together, and attended Jonesville School together.  The stories of their antics included taking “borrowed” eggs to Fletcher’s Store to trade for penny candy, hooking a goat to a cart to ride around town, walking to the movie theater in Elkin on Saturday afternoons, picking apples at the orchard on top of the Brushy Mountains and carrying full burlap sacks back home for their mothers to make pies, picnics at Stone Mountain, and riding bicycles everywhere.

During their childhood, June and her friend, John Mathis, took violin lessons together from the same teacher.  Unfortunately, she lost her hearing in her left ear around the age of 14, and her teacher told her that she wouldn’t be able to play anymore.  So she put the violin away and began to pursue other hobbies.  She excelled in basketball and was team captain during her senior year at Jonesville School in 1944.  She made the All-State basketball team during this time.  She later attended Mitchell College and Greensboro College.  In 1946, she married James Edwin Pardue.  They lived in Elkin for a short time before moving to Raleigh after their son, Jimmy, was born. There, June played basketball on sponsored teams and was even paid to do so.  They moved back and forth between Elkin and Raleigh several more times before their daughter, Dawn, was born.

In 1956, June moved back to Jonesville with her two children. Shortly thereafter, Jimmy was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a malignant brain disease.  In the four years after his diagnosis, Jimmy endured three major surgeries and countless cobalt radiation treatments.  During that difficult time, June never left his side.  She was a master at creating a happy childhood for her children.  She would make brownies for breakfast, they would dance to Elvis, sing at the top of their lungs, roller skate in the basement, sled until the late hours of the night, and roast marshmallows in the fireplace.  They had so many pets, wild and tame, including a little dog named Penny (who was actually June’s fifth dog of that name).  Sometimes at night, she would drive Dawn and Jimmy to the first overlook on Highway 21, going up the mountain, and they could see a million stars and look down on the lights of Elkin and Jonesville.  When Jimmy became bedbound, June would read to both her children for countless hours, she would make a fabulous picnic, complete with a basket, tablecloth and pimento cheese sandwiches. She would spread it out on Jimmy’s bed and tell ghost stories under a blanket with a flashlight. After Jimmy’s death in 1960 at age 13, she and Dawn continued to live in Jonesville.

June worked in the Safety Office at Chatham Blankets, and in 1966, she met Ralph Greene. They were married on March 31,1967, and June and Dawn moved to Charlotte, where Ralph lived.  June worked with the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System in Media Services. In the summers, she worked as a tour guide for Moore Tours of Charlotte, where her husband drove a tour bus, and later she did this full time.  She and Ralph traveled the whole United States, Canada and Mexico many times over and loved every minute of it.  In January of 1986, Ralph passed away.  Several years later, June moved back to Jonesville.  She continued to pursue her love of traveling. June, along with her cousins and friends, traveled to Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Egypt, Germany, Austria, Poland, Russia, Greece, and France.

After June moved back to Jonesville for the last time, John Mathis came by one day and asked her if she still had her violin.  She retrieved it from the basement, where it had been stored for over 50 years, not knowing what John had in mind.  John took both of their violins to be refurbished.  The two spent many happy hours relearning to play.  They played in church every Sunday, competed in the Senior Games, and played for many charitable events in the area.

Throughout her life and especially in her later years, June enjoyed spending her time helping animals in need. She rescued cats from local parks and fast-food parking lots.  She took in sick cats that had been abandoned at the vet, and many times, cats in need would find their way to her doorstep.  She loved these animals and took them in like her own family.  Many had chronic illnesses that required regular treatment and care.  June was proud to provide asthma breathing treatments and insulin shots for her little feline friends.

June’s grandsons, Gray and Kenan, were her pride and joy.  She never missed any birthdays, holidays, sporting events, school functions, boy scout ceremonies, musical performances, or graduations.  A summertime staple was “Camp Mimi,'' a week of one-on-one time with each grandson and their Mimi.  The week would start at the logical halfway point between Raleigh and Jonesville, Celebration Station in Greensboro.  After several hours of go-carts, bumper boats, and arcade games, they’d hop in her Lincoln Continental with the “#1 MIMI” license plate and head to Jonesville.  During that week, Mimi and her grandsons would do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted – swimming, golf, tennis, video games, movies, ice cream, trips up the mountain – Mimi would make it happen, no questions asked.  She loved spending time with her grandsons and was so proud of everything they accomplished.

June came to Raleigh to live with Dawn and Clawson in December 2015 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Although her family was fearful that her disease would ravage her brain, it became apparent that it was slow progressing.  June enjoyed many happy years and fun times living with Dawn and Clawson, where every meal “sounds like a winner” and every afternoon required “a little sippin’ wine.” Dawn and Clawson’s friends graciously welcomed June to all happenings and events, where she would quickly become the life of the party and entertain everyone with her stories.  When Gray and Kenan met the loves of their lives, Carly and Annie, she was so thrilled.  She was overjoyed when they announced their engagements, and she was the star of the dance floor at both weddings. During each visit thereafter, June strongly encouraged her grandchildren to start having children. When she learned that Carly was pregnant with a great-grandson, she screamed with joy and nearly jumped out of her chair, then joined the rest of the family in a champagne toast. From the time Everett was born last November, his Mimi held him whenever she had the chance and constantly asked about his favorite foods and activities. She insisted on getting him a little red wagon for his first birthday, and he loves it.

June spent a lifetime teaching her family and all who crossed paths with her what it means to live with grace and love, to place family above all, and to find light in the darkest times. She left this world a better place, and we are grateful knowing she will be reunited with Jimmy and the rest of her friends and family in Heaven.

June’s family would like to send their deepest gratitude to SAAR Homecare, especially Eve Savage for her unfailing support, as well as Mireya Ayala and Chioma Anusionwu for their loving care and kindness, for the manicures and pedicures, and for singing and dancing, and laughing the long days away and bringing fun into June’s last year. Thank you also to Hillcrest of Raleigh for their care for the last 6 months.

A funeral service will be conducted on Monday, November 21, 2022 at 1:00 at Elkin Funeral Service Chapel located at 560 NC Hwy 268 West, Elkin, NC 28621, with Rev. Joe Fulk officiating. Burial will follow at Hollywood Cemetery, 451 N. Bridge Street, Elkin.  The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:00 pm prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elkin Valley Trails Association, Inc., PO Box 91, Elkin, NC 28621 (elkinvalleytrails.org) or Tiny Tigers Rescue, PO Box 207, Toast, NC 27049 (tinytigersrescue.org).