June L. Harcum

June Harcum, 91, died Dec. 22, 2023. Able to bloom wherever she was planted, she was a loving wife, mother and grandmother, a devoted friend and a subtle force to be reckoned with. June was born in Cincinnati on June 3, 1932, to Carl and Opal (Flaugher) Leppert.

She was predeceased by her parents, husband Dave and daughter-in-law Mary Sue Harcum.

She is survived by daughter and son-in-law Beth and Jad Dubberley, son and daughter-in-law Joe and Sammy Harcum, granddaughter Katie Harcum and the Schroeder, Blossom and Baker families.

June graduated from Madeira High School in 1950, one of the “Nifty Fifties.” During her freshman year at Wilmington College, she met senior Dave Harcum. They were married in June 1953, three days after she turned 21. June and Dave set up house in a trailer park in Wilmington, moving to an apartment before Beth was born in 1956. Soon after, Dave finished building their first home on Mitchell Road in Wilmington, where Joe’s birth in 1959 completed the family. During her teaching career, June taught at various elementary schools (although not in the districts that Dave helped run) until they retired in 1984. June’s friendship with a fellow teacher led the family to Hide-Away Hills, in the Hocking Hills, where they enjoyed more than 40 years of wonderful memories, life-long friends and uninterrupted family time during roundtrip drives from Cincinnati. June and Dave traveled around the U.S. and to 70 countries, sending postcards from “the Bugs” to family and friends. In retirement, June got involved in the Hide-Away Hills and Lancaster communities, where she enjoyed volunteering at the Fairfield Medical Center, the Methodist Twig 7 and the Lancaster Foundation. In their efforts to leave the world a better place, June and Dave used their beliefs, influence and funds to support causes like the child advocacy center in Lancaster, which is named Harcum House in their honor. Dave and June received multiple awards for their philanthropy and service, and in 2014, June was awarded the prestigious Athena award by the Lancaster chamber of commerce for her activism and support. She remained an active supporter of Harcum House as well as causes at Wesley Ridge, where she and Dave moved in 2011.

Family will receive friends on Sun., Jan. 7, at 1 p.m. in the Kimes Chapel at Wesley Ridge, 2225 Taylor Park Dr., Reynoldsburg, OH, 43068, before a funeral service at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in June’s memory to Harcum House, 1147 E Main St., Suite B, Lancaster, OH, 43130.