June E. Conklin

June E. Conklin, 92, of Battle Creek, died peacefully at Calhoun County Medical Care Facility early in the morning on November 3, 2016. She was born in Battle Creek on June 21, 1924, the daughter of Fred and Mary (Chantrenne) Wygant.

June was a 1942 graduate of Battle Creek Central High School. She married Frank B. Conklin on June 24, 1943 in Monterey, California where Frank was stationed in the Army. They were married for nearly 68 years. She is survived by her three children, Michael (Deborah) Conklin of Battle Creek, Susan (Robert) Hutson of Battle Creek, and David (Pat) Conklin of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; 11 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; 7 great-great grandchildren; her sisters Ruth (Carroll) Sawyer, and Kathleen Kennedy, both of Battle Creek. June was preceded in death by her husband, Frank.

June was a 1965 graduate of the Kellogg Community College School of Nursing . She was employed by Leila and Community hospitals, Dr. S.A. Yannitelli, and finally at Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall as an obstetrical nurse. She found real joy in helping to bring so many lives into the world.

While she was able, she was very active at St. Philip Catholic Church, working often in the parish clothing resale shop and participating in circle and other activities at the church. She loved her family, and delighted in pulling together impromptu family gatherings. Along with loving her family, she loved her cats, and then a succession of dogs that became for her additional children. She loved her home in the woods, and those who came to visit her there.

June had the hands and heart of an artist, working throughout her life in various artistic mediums. Her clay figures and her drawings always seemed to exhibit an expression of personality, and always told a story. She was honored a number of years ago with an exhibit of her work at the Art Center of Battle Creek.

At the request of the family, they will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Sunday, November 6, 2016 at Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home & Cremation Care. A funeral mass to celebrate June's life will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, November 7, 2016 at St. Philip Catholic Church, 92 Capital Avenue NE, Battle Creek with Fr. Simon Manjooran, officiating. Interment will take place at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at Ft. Custer National Cemetery. Please consider memorial gifts to St. Philip Catholic Church and the Humane Society of South Central Michigan. Personal messages for the family and/or favorite memories of June may be placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com.