June C. (Varney) York, 94, passed away on October 22, 2016, at the St. Vincent de Paul Nursing Home in Berlin.
She was born on November 18th, 1921, in Lisbon Falls, Maine, the daughter of Chester and Annie (McGinnis) Varney. She graduated from Lisbon Falls High School in 1939, and had been employed as a secretary at Hyde Windlass Company in Bath, Maine, where she met her husband, William H. York. June was a member of the Gorham Congregational Church.
Family members include her son, William G. York and wife Alison of Hebron, NH, and daughters, Elizabeth Forestall of Berlin, and Sally Berkowitz and husband Mitchell of Gray, Maine. Five grandchildren, Shelli Fortin and husband Paul of Gorham, Kelly Rigg and partner David Crear of Manchester, Kimberly Forestall of North Conway, Devon York and partner Matt Borlaug of Plymouth, and Adam York and wife Sarah of Twenty Nine Palms, California, as well as seven great-grandchildren, and her nieces. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister, two brothers, and her son-in-law, Patrick Forestall.
In her earlier years, June was involved in the life of her church, the Gorham Woman’s Club, and served as a Brownie/Girl Scout leader. She was an avid golfer and loved to play bridge. She enjoyed cooking and spending time with her family, had a wonderful sense of humor, was a laughing partner extraordinaire and was a worthy Scrabble opponent till the end.
Per her wishes, there will be no calling hours, and a private graveside service will be held at the convenience of family members. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations be made in her memory to either the Activity Fund at St. Vincent de Paul Nursing Home or the Gorham Congregational Church.
She will always be lovingly remembered as seeing the best and the beauty in everyone and everything, and her spirit of kindness, tolerance, and giving will live on. She was our role model and will be dearly missed.