JUNE K. NOEL

 June Kay Noel, 76 of Coloma, passed away on April 28, 2025, in Cassopolis.

 June began life at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing on June 26, 1948. She was born to Catherine and Richard Austin. She was the second of six kids; Jane Christine (Terry) preceded her in death, June Noel (Kelly), Jim Austin (Barbara), Jon Austin (Lori), Jay Austin (Debbie) preceded her in death, and Julie Vanderwater (Brett). June also had several nieces and nephews; Jamie, Eric, Kelsey, Daniel, Jeff, Jacob, Braham, Alex and Ashley.

 June was the very proud mother of two children, Ryan of Wheaton, IL (Jennifer) and Katherine Kondak of Wheaton, IL (Scott). Ryan and Katie were the shining stars of her life, both such wonderful children, always bringing joy to June’s life. The smile she gave when she would see them always warmed everyone’s heart. June was also so proud of Ryan’s wife Jennifer and Katie’s husband Scott. Both have brought joy to the family and peace to June knowing that they had married so well. As proud of the kids that June was, the five grandkids gave a special kind of joy. Ryan and Jen’s three children, Aiden, Logan and Teagan as well as Katie and Scott’s two children, Rowan and Liam. June loved all of the grandchildren equally, but Aiden, the oldest, always got a little extra twinkle in her eyes. She would say “only one could be the first.”

 June taught language arts in Coloma Schools for 37 years. She was an exceptional teacher that made her kids write every day and she read every word of every student’s writings. When the kids went to bed, she would begin correcting papers and often work until 12 or 1:00 in the morning. Even when in the car, she would be in her seat correcting papers. When she retired from teaching, she sold Silpada Jewelry to help get Katie through college. Her personality was perfect for this and she was very successful at it.

 Upon retirement, she said, “I read all of those papers my kids wrote; now I’m going to read for fun.” She was reading four books a week, her favorite reading spot was the beach. Sun, sand, books and music, the rest of the world did not exist when she was in her glory on the beach reading.

 June loved to dance and was the life of the party. She had exceptional energy at everything she did, always working on staying in shape with doing aerobics and running four miles at least three or four times a week. She had a zest for life, always going 110% at whatever she did.

 June loved to shop, always looking for a deal. She never could pass up a store or a sale, coming home with many packages and being so excited about her “deals”.

 June and her husband Kelly were truly a love story, going to high school dances together in 9th grade, going “steady” in 10th grade and all through high school and college. With June attending MSU (graduating with honors) and Kelly attending WMU, they still managed to see each other on the weekends and were married June 27, 1970, right after college graduation.

 Through the 54 years of marriage, their love for one another grew even stronger. Always holding hands, hugging, and kissing, often to the embarrassment of Ryan and Katie. Those hugs, kisses, smiles and hand holding will be dearly missed, but the memories will always be cherished. June touched many people in her lifetime and we are so grateful to have shared time with her.

 A memorial service to honor June will be on Thursday, June 26 at Duffield & Pastrick Family Funeral Home in Coloma at 3:00 p.m., followed by a Celebration of Life at the Waterfront in Coloma. The family will receive friends beginning at 2:00 p.m., up until the time of the service. Those wishing to leave an online message for the family may do so at www.duffieldpastrick.com. Memorial donations in June’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.