June Jackson (Brown) Lanchester

June Jackson (Brown) Lanchester, 84, of Jacksonville, Florida, went home to be with the Lord on September 3, 2023. She was blessed to have many family members and friends visit her during the weeks preceding her passing. Her loving husband for more than 25 years, Lee Lanchester, was her caregiver and was by her side when she passed into Glory.

June was born to the late David and Myrtle Jackson in Lenoir, North Carolina. After her family moved to Georgia, she attended Evans High School where she played varsity basketball and graduated as the class salutatorian in 1956. She attended business school in Augusta, GA, and began a career as an optician at age 19. She married her high school sweetheart, Randall Brown, in 1958 and they raised two sons. June was also a loving daughter, regularly visiting and helping to care for her parents during their golden years.

In 1998, June married Lee Lanchester, and they built a wonderful life together in Jacksonville. June worked as a professional optician for over 52 years, employing her technical skills and strong work ethic for the benefit of her many grateful patients. She was a devoted wife to Lee. After they both retired, they enjoyed traveling together to England, going on island cruises, and exploring the United States and Canada in their RV. They participated in car shows, worked on their own classic cars, did home improvement projects, regularly hosted family pool parties, and spent time with family and friends. June was a fantastic mother to her sons and their families. Despite being a working mother, she always found time to help her children with homework and school projects. She attended countless sporting, church, and school events with them throughout the years. June also helped care for her grandchildren, always ready to make an “emergency” pickup from school or ball practice when needed.

In addition to her impressive basketball skills, June displayed her athleticism in her adult years as both as an avid water skier and an outstanding tennis player. She played in community club events well into her 70’s, enjoying camaraderie with her beloved “tennis friends” both on and off the court. June never met a stranger; she had a wonderful sense of humor and an infectious laugh. She had many God-given gifts, including a folksy ability of connecting with all kinds of people. She delighted, and sometimes indicted, her family and friends with an impressive collection of homespun sayings that were perfect for (almost) any situation. Her co-workers at Wood, Lanier, and Bowman Optometry kept a running written list of these “June-isms,” verbal heirlooms that were passed down to June by her beloved mother. This list grew quite long over the 34 years that June worked there. Her colleagues and patients howled with laughter whenever she let fly one of these “sayings.”

June was a faithful and outspoken servant of Jesus Christ. She was an active member of her church and Sunday school for many years. She participated in the outreach ministry program at the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, visiting and bringing the light of Christ to the homes of her neighbors and other residents in the community. In this way, she won many souls for the Lord. She treasured her “quiet time” early every morning, when she would read Scripture, pray, and prepare herself spiritually for the coming day.

June is survived by her husband, Lee, her two sons, Randy Brown, of Hiram, GA, and Rodney Brown (Kelly), of Jacksonville, and her stepdaughter, Laura Lanchester Parko (Robert), also of Jacksonville. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Lauren, Melise, Colter, and Emma, her step-grandchildren, Bradley and Connor, her great-grandson, Ethan, and her brother and sister, Bill Jackson and Jane Jackson Johnson, both of Columbia County, GA. She was predeceased by her brother, Vernon Jackson.

June will be interred at Hardage-Giddens Chapel Hills Cemetery in Jacksonville. A memorial service will be held on October 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Abilene Baptist Church, 3917 Washington Road, Martinez, GA.