June Norris of Ephrata, WA

June is survived by her two daughters, Dawn (Jerry) Boyd, and Shannon (Rick) Terry; brother, Darrell Reiner; and sister, Joie Campbell.  She also leaves behind 5 beloved grandchildren; Joel (Stacie) Boyd, Beth Boyd, Carrie (John) Heston, Summer Terry, Chelsea (Ryan) Rolly; many great and great-great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.    

June was preceded in death by her parents, Fred & Virgie Reiner; husband, William R Norris; son, Brian Norris; brothers, Murray and Robert Reiner; sister, Margie Thayer; brother-in-law, Ken Campbell; sister-in-law, Linda Reiner; nephew, Darren Campbell; and nephew, Mark Reiner.

June was born in Lind, WA, November 10, 1934, and the family moved to Ephrata when June was 2.  Before settling down, she worked for House Laundry in Ephrata, WA.  She met the love of her life, Bill Norris, while he was stationed in Ephrata serving for the United States Air Force during the Korean War.  They married February 14, 1953, and spent the next 56 years together.  Bill and June started their new life together in Savannah, Georgia, where Bill’s family resided.  After a few years together, they had their sights set on settling in June’s home state of Washington.  Their little house on the corner of 14th and D SW was known to many in their 60 years there.

June wasn’t just any homemaker.  She filled her schedule to the brim with girl scouts, homemade Halloween costumes, Moose Lodge membership, bowling league, weekend camping trips, Friday night Bingo, arts and crafts, playing cards with friends, quilting club, and so much more!  Her real passion was her faith, and she shared her love of Jesus with 

3-4 year olds as a Sunday School teacher at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for 42 years.   Her church family meant the world to her, and she loved to serve in the kitchen, as an assistant secretary, a greeter, and a parishioner for more than 80 years!

Bill & June loved to travel.  Every 4 years, they would make their way “down south” to visit family.  Each year, Bill would map out a different route, and they managed to visit all 48 lower states.  She collected a commemorative spoon from each state, and displayed them proudly on her wall at home.  June was able to visit Alaska alongside her sisters Margie and Joie, and she collected yet another spoon, making 49 total.  

June took back her health in the 1980’s, and started walking to manage diabetes.  What started with a few blocks, turned into a mile or two, and before she knew it, she was consistently walking 4-5 miles a day.  She was dedicated!  So much that she hung a map in her stairwell, and logged her miles from Washington to Alabama (to see the family), and back!   She was the kind of Grandma that showed up to every sporting event and school assembly, took a ride down the sledding hill, “jived” in her kitchen to old time country music, flew kites, played Yahtzee, loved baseball, talked to the birds, and whistled constantly.  She loved winter so much that she kept a pile of snow from her yard in her freezer so she could have snow all year round!

Writing was also a passion for June, and she started a personal set of journals in 1970.  These have become literal history books for the family!  If you want to know what the weather was like on September 12, 1982, June could tell you!  To cope with her grief during Bill’s last days, and afterwards, she started to dabble in poetry.  She turned out to be quite good!  When she wasn’t writing, she would spend hours with an x-acto blade, crazy glue, and all colors of construction paper to create the most beautiful intricate handmade holiday cards.  And inside those cards came her annual Christmas letter to carry her voice all over the United States to friends and family.  She never forgot a birthday or anniversary.  In her later years, she loved to color in adult coloring books with all the shades of the rainbow.

June loved people and people loved June.  June’s greatest pride was her family, and that was evident in the thousands of pictures she took and shared with others.  She did not know a stranger, and she thought of her neighbors like family.  She continued to cultivate friendships, traditions, and share memories until her last day.  

A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 5, 2026 at 2:00 pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1012 C St SW, Ephrata, WA  98823.  After the graveside service, please return to the church and join us for fellowship and celebration of June’s life.  All who knew and loved June are welcome to attend.