1928-2022
John Wilkins Kneebaker passed away on the morning of January 3, 2022. Her words tell her life story:
On a pure, clear February day in 1928, June was born to a fit and diligent father, Cleon W. Wilkins and a free-lance mother, Lucy Andrews Wilkins. It was a happy family, always filled with music, art, conversations about law, current events, and hard work. In the end, there were four daughters who did everything from painting to playing the piano to cutting the lawn: Pat, Ann, and Lucy, who constantly enriched her life. Her siblings-in-law were the best siblings she had ever had: Bill Cannon, Dick Ellis, and Fred Moreton. June’s parents built a house near the University of Utah so that their daughters could be close to the world of ideas.
She attended Douglas, Stewart, Bryant and Sharq High School. She graduated from the University of Utah in 1949 in Education and later went to graduate school in Art History for her lifetime. I attended Cambridge University in England with five adventurous friends who felt like children again as they learned, played and cycled around the beautiful countryside. Later, she and Jerry Clayton returned to England to attend the John Brooks School of Garden Design with 11 other students from all over the world.
At 17, she went to work as a waitress at Jenny Lake Ranch. I climbed, swam, and danced to Glenn Miller in Jackson Hole with a bell named Steve Kneebaker. It was the beginning of an adventurous life that lasted for 67 years. They fished, skied, played tennis, golf, fishing, hiking, swimming, driving tractors and enjoyed a wide range of activities with their children, spouses, great-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She and Steve are the parents of four children: Jane N. Jardine (Jim), Marie Larson (Brent), Stephen W. Knipecker (Holley), and Annie N. Christensen (Gary), 11 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
June had many jobs in her life. She taught third grade at Douglas Elementary School, taught children with disabilities in Vermont Park, and taught art history at Salt Lake Community College and garden design at U of U. . She was a founding member of the Women’s Resource Center in the United States.
She was fortunate to do some volunteer work. She was president of the Salt Lake Jr. Association and Vice President of the U.S. Alumni Association. At U, she has served on the advisory boards for the Colleges of Social Work, Behavioral Sciences, Fine Arts, and Health Sciences, Gardner Hall, KUED, and Binion Center. She was a delegate from Utah for the Families Initiative with Ellen Forghese and Esther Landa. She was awarded the Merit of Honor by the U and Legacy of Excellence Award by the Junior League. She and Steve received the Camarata Award from the U.S. Department of Music.
She was a loyal member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her favorite assignments were to be the singer at Sunday Junior School and to sing with these adorable, funny, and troubled kids. Worship with adults and continually draw inspiration from their great devotion and faith; To teach Laurels and watch them grow and change as they become more aware of the needs of others. She always had a humanistic view of religion.
June loves playing tennis, skiing, swimming and even enjoys mercury golf. She found pleasure watching her grandchildren compete in soccer, basketball, golf, soccer and swimming. It was a bit of a problem when the grandchildren played against each other.
She and her husband went up to Machu Picchu, rode camels in Turkey, and marveled at the Sistine Chapel, walked through the huts that bordered the Volga, captured by the Taj Mahal. However, her favorite places remained her little house on the hill, Snow Canyon in early spring and their home in North Eden, Bear Lake.
June was a wonderful life filled with learning, love, laughter and tears. She sadly leaves out the many people who enlightened and strengthened her and enabled her to do what she loved: her friends, her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. She is now enjoying a wonderful reunion with Steve.
There will be a visit on Wednesday, January 12th from 6 to 8 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City. The memorial service will be held at Hilltop Ward, 589 East 18th Avenue, Thursday, January 13 at noon. Masks are encouraged.
For those who want to join the services via Zoom, they can do so here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85678306408
In lieu of flowers, June is asking that you donate to the University of Utah Department of Music for scholarships and/or give flowers to someone you love. If you are interested, please go to music.utah.edu and click on the Give tab and fill in the gift fields.
Published by The Salt Lake Tribune from January 6 to January 10, 2022.