Dr. June Elaine Holmes

Dr. June Elaine Holmes of Tulsa, Oklahoma passed away on December 19th at the age of 95. June was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on June 6, 1923 to Edna and Wilfred Holmes and she is survived by her sister, Shirley Holmes Robinson of Hanover, NH and her two nephews: Mark E. Robinson and his wife Clare of Wellesley, MA and Peter H. Robinson of Framingham, MA and his partner Michele F. Messom of Milford, MA and their families including: Bradley, Matthew and Kristen. June also leaves behind her best friend and partner of many years, Retired Colonel Shirley A. Schelper of Tulsa, OK. June’s sister, Shirley, remembers June with love as her big sister and fondly remembers attending many Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox games with June and their parents, and as we all know, June remained an avid life-long Red Sox fan. Shirley also remembers that June was always the one taking the lead, breaking the ice, and as a result sometimes getting into trouble and that June therefore lovingly began to refer to Shirley as ”angelface”. Mark and Peter have wonderful memories of spending time with June and her friends in Boston and Duxbury, at their cabin in Vermont, and on wonderful trips to the New York World’s Fair in 1964 when they were 9 and 12, and three years later, to the International and Universal Exposition (Expo 67) in 1967 in Montreal, Canada. Colonel Shirley Schelper has many fond memories of she and June traveling the world on cruise ships and seeing the USA by car. After high school, June first attended Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene, becoming a Registered Dental Hygienist in 1942. June then served in the United States Navy from September 20, 1944 to April 2, 1946 when she received an Honorable Discharge. June returned to Forsyth where she held the position of Clinical Instructor until 1951. June then attended Boston University where she obtained her Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees, and then her Doctorate in Education in Counseling Psychology on June 7, 1959. During her early years at BU, June served as Head Resident in Charles Gate Hall and as an Instructor and Undergraduate Counsellor. After obtaining her Doctorate, June was appointed to the faculty, first as an Assistant Professor of Education and then as an Associate Professor of Education. In 1969, June took a one-year sabbatical from BU and went to Germany to work for the US Department of Defense Dependent’s Schools, Europe. June remained in Germany, beyond the one year sabbatical, serving in multiple roles with the Dependent’s Schools until 1978. At that time, she returned to the United States settling in Tulsa, where after a brief stint in business, she accepted a position with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa. From 1982 to 1993, June served as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. On June 30, 1993 she retired and was named Emeritus Clinical Professor. June was very active in her community: consulting with many organizations including the Muskogee VA Medical Center; serving on multiple committees at both the Health Sciences Center and with the College of Medicine; and as a member of the German-American Society of Tulsa and as a volunteer with the Helping Hands Ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa, of which she was also a member. June was a member of the Mariners Sunday School class and also a member of the Tulsa Walking Club. She participated in many walking events of the American Volkssport Association. A Memorial Service will be held on February 28, 2019 at 2:00PM in the Kerr Chapel at the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa, 709 S. Boston Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74119. A reception will follow. Earlier that morning, a service will also be held at Inverness Village. Memorial donations may be made in June's name to: the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), or the Helping Hands Ministry (https://www.firstchurchtulsa.org/resources/ministry-match/helping-hand-ministries). June’s remains will be laid to rest with her parents in the Ancient Cemetery, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts.

Dr. June Elaine Holmes

June 6, 1923 - December 19, 2018