June Emm Carey

June Emm (Kitts) Carey walked home to Jesus Christ on September 23, 2014, after a 12-year journey following a stroke that weakened her body but not her irrepressible spirit. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Robert “Bob” H. Carey, Sr. and her children, Judy Marie Carey Burton (Edson Nye Burton, Jr.), Elizabeth Lee Carey (Terrance James Linskey), and Robert “Bob” H. Carey, Jr. Also survived by those who call her “Gaga”: her grandchildren Edson Nye “Tripp” Burton, III (Sara Lynn Majewski Burton) and Carey Lee Burton (Mitchell Ryan Powers); Elizabeth Nester Carey-Linskey and Peter James Carey-Linskey; and Robert H. “Kitts” Carey, III and Partridge Nunn “Ridge” Carey; her great grandchildren Elaina Lynn Burton and Julianne Nye Burton; and, the many friends who were as close as family. She is preceded in death by her father and mother, Edward Lee Kitts and Mary Florence (Nester) Kitts; her brothers, Claude Henry Kitts and Calvin Emmanuel “Jack” Kitts; and, her sister, Mary Lee Kitts, who now rejoice with her in heaven. Fiercely loyal to her family and heritage, June was born in Princeton, West Virginia, on September 11, 1929. Refusing to accept the 1861 secession of West Virginia, she still considered her family and hometown “Virginian,” which she was very proud to claim. Raised by hardworking and loving parents, June was brought up in Key Street United Methodist Church, was a first-rate tap dancer as a child, earned her driver’s license at 14 to assist with her handicapped older sister, and attended the nearby Bluefield Business College where she earned an associate’s degree in office management in 1949. She immediately put that education to work in Jacksonville, Florida as an office manager, where she met her husband, Bob, at a USO dance in 1951. After a whirlwind romance that involved her breaking an engagement and, as her father put it, “seeing if that Yankee boy was who she really wanted,” she boarded an overnight train to Chicago to see Bob with only a phone call message left with his fraternity brother that she would arrive the next morning. June and Bob married on March 27, 1953 in her childhood home in Princeton, after which they set up their first home in Chicago. June moved with Bob in 1953 to Birmingham, Michigan, where she lived for almost 50 years, raising three children, becoming deeply involved in both Orchard United Methodist Church in Farmington, Michigan and First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, Michigan. She also was a key leader at the Oakland County Community College Continuum Center and the Meadowbrook Center for the Arts. Ferociously faithful to her God and her church, June was the embodiment of truly loving her neighbor through deed and action. While in her 40s, June received a degree in gerontology from Mercy College (now University of Detroit-Mercy), which she applied to important and heart-wrenching work as a court advocate for victims of elder abuse. She also worked tirelessly with social agencies in the Detroit area, helping the physically and mentally challenged have better lives. No case was too difficult or too insignificant for June. She could be found planning a proper burial for an impoverished elder she befriended, or taking food and clothing to those in need. Ignoring the warning to social workers to not become too involved with her clients, June would befriend and make the plight of the downtrodden her own, giving them hope for a better future. Retiring in 2000, she and Bob moved to the Chicago area where she enjoyed her favorite things: grandchildren, friends (June never knew a stranger), shopping, gardening, and giving gifts of her favorite jewelry to everyone she met. Throughout her life, she was known for her great sense of style, her ability to make everyone she talked to feel special, and her deep concern for family and community. For the past two years, June received the best care possible from the staff at Tabor Hills Healthcare, and admiration from everyone who knew her for her feisty and cheerful determination. To those who supported her with your friendship and love — your kindness will never be forgotten. As June would say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Graveside services will be conducted on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 12:30 PM at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Princeton with Rev. Don Dinger officiating. Friends may call on Saturday morning from 11:00-12:00 at Cravens-Shires Funeral Home. Memorials preferred to Tabor Hills (503c), 1347 Crystal Ave., Naperville, IL 60563 in memory of June Carey and in honor of her loving caregivers. Online condolences will be accepted at www.cravens-shires.com Cravens-Shires Funeral Home, 3431 Coal Heritage Road (Bluewell), Bluefield, WV 24701 is serving the family.