June “Junie” Pearl Bennett | Obituaries

December 14, 1925 – November 9, 2021

June “Junie” Pearl Bennett passed away on November 9, 2021, about a month before her 96th birthday. Junie was a real Oregonian! She was born in Portland to Alexander Anton and Ruth M. (Warman) Dumbley. She and her twin brother, Junior Earl, were the youngest of eight children and grew up in Portland. Her father left the house when the “twins” were just four years old. The older sisters worked for wealthy families in order to make money for the family when they were 16 and 17. The older brothers joined the army at the ages of 16 and 17. Junie did not see any of her siblings other than her twin brother for 20 years. Junie was the only sibling to graduate from high school.

Junie met the “love of a lifetime” Vernon Theodore “Ted” Bennett while waiting at tables at the Portland military base. Ted was just finishing his service in the US Air Force after serving in World War II. Ted asked Junie out on a date, and it was heard that he said he would “bet his $ 50 monthly wage that she would go out with him!” And she did. They were married in Vancouver, Washington, on June 21, 1945 by a justice of the peace. They spent their honeymoon in Astoria while on Ted’s three-day military passport. They lived in Portland while Ted, who worked as an aircraft mechanic, was stationed there, but he longed to return to his hometown of Philomath. Junie had never left Portland before but had agreed to move to Philomath to become part of the Bennett “13 Siblings” family. Ted worked for the 3G Lumber Company as a log truck driver for 33 years before he retired. Junie worked as a food inspector at IGA and then at Safeway for 19 years. She loved her customers and they loved her. They were socially active at Elks Lodge of Corvallis No. 1413 (where Ted was an Exalted Ruler) and at Corvallis Moose Lodge No. 1411. They enjoyed dancing, listening to music, and spending time with large family and friends. Junie and Ted enjoyed 53 wonderful years of marriage before Ted died unexpectedly in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 73.

The loss of the “love of her life” was very difficult for Junie. She eventually moved to Meadow Park Estates where she bought a house that she loved. Her goal was to make her homes and gardens look pretty and she went out of her way to do so. She made so many wonderful new friends and cultivated the friendships of others from the past few years. She enjoyed a very busy social calendar that included playing a variety of card and dice games and the company of friends, but her activities decreased with the onset of Covid-19. Junie was the consummate “social butterfly” who always smiled at others, was happy, always thought of others, and had the gift of focusing a conversation on others and not on yourself.

In 2004, Junie Norman “Norm” met Ray Kerns and they enjoyed their friendship for 14 years. They trained together regularly at 6:30 a.m. at WOW Fitness and later at the Timberhill Athletic Club, recognizing the importance of regular exercise. Norm and Junie began traveling to Yuma, Arizona for the winter of 2005. Norm had a trailer they lived in and a group of family and friends would meet with them every year. They loved to dance, go to concerts, hang out with friends, and attend various other social activities until their mobility waned. Norm died earlier this year at the age of 90.

After suffering from an illness hospitalized in April 2021, Junie realized she needed full-time care and decided to move to Stoneybrook Assisted Living in Corvallis. She enjoyed the practice classes, piano performances, played bingo, and other activities. She also enjoyed the many visits from friends and family for lunch or a car ride. Moving from her home and her 28 year old friends to Meadow Park Estates has been a challenge for her. She had just started making friends in Stoneybrook, as evidenced by the lovely comments made about June after her death. Junie hasn’t lost her smile, nor her desire to make others feel better and maybe even make them smile.

June precedes her husband Ted, longtime boyfriend / partner Norm, all of her siblings Margaret, Marian, Mildred, James, Helen, Eugene, and her twin brother Junior Earl, who passed away earlier in the year. She leaves behind a multitude of nieces and nephews on both sides of the family and many friends whose lives she has so blessed and touched.

A celebration of Junie’s life will be held on Saturday, December 4th. Commemorative donations can be made to the Lumina Hospice, which looks after the McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis. Online condolences may be posted at mchenryfuneralhome.com. Junie’s family and friends would like to thank all of the angels at Benton County’s Lumina Hospice for their love and care over the past seven months.