June Irene Unger

May 20, 1922 – November 29, 2015

June Unger, 93, of Phoenix, Arizona and Edina, Minnesota passed away at home on Sunday morning, November 29, 2015, surrounded by her children. Born in Glendale, California, she was proceeded in death by her parents, Irene and Frank Glockner; brothers, Jack and Jim; Edward, her beloved husband of 61 years; and daughters, Joan Spinka (Unger) and Marianne Unger. She is survived by her brother Frank Glockner (Laguna Beach, California); 3 children: Jane van Honk-Unger (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Cynthia Ann Unger (Stephen Fuller) (Boulder, Colorado), and Joseph Edward Unger (Minneapolis, Minnesota); 6 grandchildren: Tanya Spinka, Karina Spinka, and Nadia Farmilo (Spinka) (Brisbane, Australia), Jessica and Cisco van Honk (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), and Katherine Fuller (Boulder, Colorado); and 3 great-grandchildren – Sofie, Noah, and Benjamin.

June grew up in southern California with her three younger brothers. She attended Holy Family parochial school and Glendale High School and worked in her family’s real estate business. She financed her own college education during the war years and graduated in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1945. As an academic and a skilled debater, one never argued with June because she would always win!

In 1946, she married Edward Louis Unger, the love of her life for 61 years. June and Ed lived in the foothills of the La Canada Mountains and began raising five children. Seven years later, Ed, a national sales manager with 3M, was transferred to Minnesota where they settled in Edina. Here they enjoyed the four seasons, skiing, skating, and tobogganing in the winter, and golf, tennis, and boating in the warmer months on many of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. Family highlights included the annual summer vacation to Whitefish Lake in northern Minnesota, and ski trips to Colorado in the winter.

June was an incredible homemaker and mother. She spent endless hours hauling her five kids around to countless extra-curricular activities. As the kids grew older, June took up teaching at a Catholic school in the Twin Cities and later worked as a guidance counselor at the University of Minnesota.

June’s passion for gourmet cooking led her to study with renowned Minneapolis chef, Verna Meyer. To Ed’s great delight, she regularly experimented with new recipes on her family, never cooking the same dish twice. Her culinary skills were much-admired by friends and neighbors. A family tradition evolved with June’s creative hors d'oeuvres at cocktail hour; the cocktail hour legacy continues today with the whole family. June often said she preferred hors d'oeuvres over dinner!

June loved traveling, especially to Mexico, Hawaii, and Europe, including an extraordinary pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996. She loved the outdoor lifestyle and even hiked the Half Dome in Yosemite as a young woman! A favorite sport was tennis; her killer serve was feared by all opponents. She loved golf, and spent endless hours watching pro tournaments on the TV. June was an accomplished interior designer. Her Minnesota home in Indian Hills was living proof of her exquisite taste. June loved gardening; in Phoenix, she cultivated gorgeous roses that made beautiful arrangements for her Blessed Virgin alter, to whom she was devoted. We could not let June’s life pass without mentioning Jiggs, the family dog, a cantankerous dachshund who fantasized he was a German Shephard. June found her ultimate challenge was training that crazy dog!

As a devout Catholic, June was active in many Church ministries, including the Ministry of the Sick, where she brought the Sacrament of Holy Communion to those in need. Additionally, she devoted many years volunteering for the Society of St. Vincent De Paul and contributed to numerous charities in her lifetime.

June’s tenacious spirit helped her to overcome family tragedy. She endured the death of her two brothers, her much-loved Edward, and her two daughters, Joan and Marianne. Her fierce resolve and amazing sense of humor carried her through those tough times.

Loving life, June celebrated each day as a gift from God. She was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 15 at 2 PM at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 11001 N. 40th Street, Phoenix. June will be laid to rest with her dearly loved Edward at the National Memorial Cemetery, 23029 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, Arizona on December 16 at 12:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations to Hospice of the Valley (http://www.hov.org/donate.aspx) or Food for the Poor (http://www.foodforthepoor.org) are welcomed and appreciated.