Junko Fujii “June” Yanaginuma passed away on February 3, 2017 at the age of 85. June was born on March 16, 1931 in Los Angeles, California to Hideichi and Yoshiko Fujii. She and her older brother, Maseo grew up in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles. During World War II, she and her family were relocated to the Poston, Arizona relocation camp where she was introduced to wildlife such as scorpions, rattlesnakes, water moccasins and gila monsters while the family was confined in the desert for three and a half years.
After the war, June’s family moved back to Boyle Heights, where she completed her Junior High School and continued onto Roosevelt High School. She then entered Metropolitan Business College to acquire the skill as a comptometer operator. She worked with workmen’s service for over a year before working with Pacific Telephone Co. in the disbursement accounting department in Los Angeles for the next ten years.
In 1961, June met her husband, Kiyomi at a ballroom dance at Fox Hill Country Club in West Los Angeles that she was attending with her brother. Kiyomi and June were married on June 16, 1962 in Oxnard. June worked alongside her husband for over 35 years in the office as well as on the construction site. They both continued to take care of the rental properties after retiring from their general building contracting business. June’s love for animals showed in her generosity and strong support of such organizations as Search Dog Foundation of Santa Paula and the Ventura County Wildlife Care in Simi Valley as well as the local feline and canine rescue teams.
June was blessed with an artistic talent in water color and oil painting in her later years. Her favorite pastime was browsing at the Ventura Barnes and Noble Bookstore.
She shared all of her books with her friends at the Oxnard Senior Center as well as the Seniors in Ojai. She donated many books to the Oxnard Public Library.
June was preceded in death by her husband Kiyomi, her parents, her brother and his wife and her brother- in- law Kiyoshi. She is survived by her sisters-in-law Denko Hirose, Simiko Ishihara and Frances Okumura as well as many nieces, nephews and their children and by the loving Cugnoni family who cared for her.
Family and friends are invited to graveside funeral services to be held at 1p.m. Saturday February 11, 2017 in Ivy Lawn Memorial Park, Ventura. Donations in the memory of June may be made to the Search Dog Foundation, 6800 Wheeler Canyon Rd, Santa Paula, CA 93060. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME, 757 E. Main Street Ventura.
May angels keep watch over you, guide and protect you, all along life’s path.