June Marie Harmon's Obituary
June Marie Riddles Harmon, 87, Orem died March 7, 2013 from pancreatic cancer. She was a master teacher, whose work influenced children from the Tongan Islands to Utah’s Jordan School District over a span of 35 years.
She was born Feb. 5, 1926 in Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma to William Wesley Riddles and Jane Nun-na-quan-nah Motherme. She married Rondo S. Harmon in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on Jan 18, 1944. They had six children: Lynda J. Philbrick (Doug) of Mesa, AZ; Rondo S. Harmon Jr. (Jolene); Richard S. "Dick" Harmon (AnnaLee) of Orem; Leonard Kent Harmon (Lisa) of Provo; Debra J. Harmon of Orem, and Phillip R. Harmon (Janet) of Orem. She also raised two foster Navajo children, Nora and Henry John Joe.
An active member of the LDS faith, she served in many callings including Primary teacher and Relief Society President. She attended boarding school in Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a child. She was Football Queen at Temple High in 1943 and earned her high school certificate from BYU after having given birth to three of her six children. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from BYU in 1969 and worked towards a Master’s Degree in child development, also at BYU.
She was a dedicated teacher, having retired from Jordan School District after 23 years where she taught first grade at Draper Elementary School. She also taught school in Vernal, Utah and at Liahona High School in the Tongan Islands. She loved the Utah Jazz, working with young people and spending time with her many grandchildren. Her hobbies included camping, reading, playing board games, travel, water aerobics, quilting, and compassionate service.
She is survived by two sisters, Faye Winkler of Walters, Okla., and Esther Williams of Tula Rosa, N.M.; five of her six children, 30 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Rondo, son Rondo Jr., grandsons Jeffrey J. Harmon and Kolby DeMarco, brothers Leonard and Stanley Riddles and sister Ada Hettich.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at noon at the Provo, Utah Stake Center, 1315 East 900 South, Provo. Friends may call from 10 to 11:45 a.m prior to services.
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