Marjorie June Washburn

Marjorie June Washburn passed away peacefully on June 19, 2020, after suffering a heart attack on June 16.
June was born on February 9, 1933, in Columbus, Ohio, the third of six children of John Lindsay Young and Ruby Wilson Young. When June was eight years old, the family moved to Madison, North Carolina, where she graduated from Madison High School in 1950. After studying briefly at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, June moved to Miami, Florida, and began working for AT&T. After meeting and befriending Mabel Kersey, the two moved to Washington, D.C., where June learned to excel at secretarial skills and worked for the Department of Defense.
In 1956, June moved to Vero Beach, Florida, and she worked in the base headquarters office at Patrick Air Force Base in Satellite Beach, Florida. June joined the First United Methodist Church in Vero Beach, and with her friend Gladys Cobb, June would teach Sunday School to seventh graders at the church for the next 40 years.
In 1963, June married Major Jesse E. Washburn (United States Air Force, Ret.). June became a stepmother to Jeffrey, Carolyn, and Judy, and she developed close relationships with each of them. Jess had moved to Vero Beach after retiring in 1962 and planted a citrus grove, and after their marriage Jess and June worked together to get their fledgling business off the ground.
During the 1960s, Patrick AFB was closely affiliated with the manned space exploration program, and June was active in coordinating the myriad public events related to the program. June interacted with astronauts, politicians, and government officials as part of the effort, and she received commendations for her service.
In 1970, June gave birth to James Andrew Washburn, and she was a devoted mother for the rest of her life. June was recognized throughout Vero Beach by her 1960 Volkswagen Bug in which she drove James to his school and athletic events. June also went back to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1973, and then for the Federal Aviation Administration in 1975. June worked for the FAA until she retired in 1997.
June loved Florida and its natural wonders. She adored the many birds that congregated at her home, and she was a talented gardener, raising orchids and bromeliads and nursing back to health plants that others brought to her. June loved the beach and spent many days there with her nieces and friends. June became a fitness enthusiast and enjoyed “walking the bridge” over the Indian River. In later years, she became active in the Order of the Eastern Star.
She always maintained an adventurous spirit. Jess and June had planned a trip to Europe before Jess died suddenly in 1999. After spending months getting his affairs in order, June traveled to Europe herself, and followed up in later years with trips to Japan, China, Costa Rica, Ireland, Italy, Canada, and the Caribbean.
In 2014, June moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to be near James and his family. June was an affectionate mother-in-law to Emily and doting grandmother to Jackson and Jess. She was a constant fixture at her grandsons’ school and sporting events, and she loved them dearly. June became an active member at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church and volunteered in the church office. She also became an avid fan of the Atlanta United soccer club and especially their striker, Josef Martinez. She returned
frequently to Vero Beach to stay in touch with her many friends there, driving herself back and forth. She remained active, independent, and fully engaged in life until the end.
June endured and overcame many challenges in her life with a grit, strength, and perseverance that inspired all who knew her. But she combined that steel in her spine with an uncommon warmth in her heart, openness, generosity in ways both large and small, and thoughtful devotion to her family and many friends. Those qualities are what we will miss most of all.
June was preceded in death by Jess, her husband of 36 years, as well as her parents, sisters Juanita Spires and Fannie Murray, and brother William Young. She is survived by her son James, her daughter-in-law Emily, her grandsons Jackson and Jess, her stepchildren Jeffrey, Carolyn, and Judy, her brothers John Young and Walter Young, numerous nieces and nephews, and countless friends.
There will be a visitation at Leonard Johnson Funeral Home in Marmet, WV, on June 26 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, and a graveside service at the Washburn Family Cemetery in Racine, West Virginia, on June 27 at 11:00 AM. A memorial service will take place at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on July 2nd at 4:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made the First United Methodist Church of Vero Beach, 1750 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960, or to Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, 1660 North Decatur Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30307.