Birth date: Apr 1, 1928 Death date: Jul 26, 2017
June R. Flannagan 89, of Eustis, passed away on July 26, 2017. She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and moved to Eustis in 1985 from Orlando. She was a Jehovah's Witness and a cosmetician. She is survived by her daughters; Patrici Read Obituary
It was a real pleasure to sing and play the old songs every Wednesday afternoon with my partner June. We would trade off playing guitar and autoharp and always chasing down different tunes to try out. I feel so fortunate to have met June, Carl, and Pat.
My sympathies to Pat and her sister. I will miss your Mother and will never forget our harmony sessions.
Linda Kaiser
Syracuse,NY and Tavares. FL
Britt Combs here, Connie's son. I was very sorry to hear of June's passing. I never got to know her but I knew that my Mom loved her a lot. Reading the tributes here, I realize I lost the chance to know a wonderful aunt. As my sister Stacy mentioned, music is very important to all of our family and I am glad to learn how she enjoyed making and sharing music with others. My wife, Jenny, and children, Lily and Aerick, offer our deepest sympathy.
June Flannagan was my mother. She was born in the Vestal section of Knoxville, Tennessee in 1928. Her sister Connie recounts some of her early life better than I can. June married Carl Flannagan in 1943 and they lived in a number of places including a very sparsely populated Altamonte Springs, Florida where they had a cabin by Prairie Lake. Carl worked on motors and cars, June sold blouses in some of the best department stores in Orlando. They finally settled back in Knoxville in 1952 and I guess I had something to do with that since I came along that year. My sister Toni was born in 1954. My father worked for Tennessee Armature downtown repairing small motors while June began working for Superx Drug Stores, a division of Kroger. Her good looks, her excellent makeup and her salesmanship made her a good choice for cosmetician there. The family moved in 1967 to Orlando so June could transfer to a new store opening in Central Florida. She worked for the company until she retired in 1985. Carl and June relocated to Eustis, Florida where she picked up her long neglected musical career. She performed at senior citizen centers, for Irish American Society of Lake County and even as late as 2005 at the Bluegrass Festival at East Lake County Library in Sorrento. I had the privilege of introducing her and her singing partner, Linda Kaiser, as Fair and Tender Ladies. My dad, as always at all her gigs, was her roadie. She specialized in Irish songs, playing mostly autoharp, but was always ready with a country song too. She loved her home in Central Florida and never longed for Tennessee as my father sometimes did. Carl passed on in 2007. Musical ability runs in the family due to her as my sister and I both sing and play. She lived a long life and I thank her always for her support of me.
I am Stacy Lynch, daughter of Connie Watson Trotman, niece of June Flannagan. My husband Mike and I were so sorry to hear of June's passing and wish peace and comfort to her family.
I remember playing dress up in some of those beautiful dresses and costumes that Ruby made for June, Mary and Ruth whenever we would visit and hearing stories about how well June sang. My siblings and I all have good singing voices...maybe it is a family trait.
I am Judy Haun Cox. I am June's cousin. Her mother Ruby was my mothers sister. The last time I seen June was in 1971 when I was in Florida on vacation and stopped to visit her and Carl. These pictures were taken then. We had a wonderful visit at that time. I met Pat and Toni. They were adorable teenagers then. June and I kept in touch by writing to each other. Sure wish we could have seen and visited more often, Pat, Jehovah promises us a resurrection of those who have passed on. So be rest assured that you will see your mom and dad again. And in those days there will be no more sickness and death. Rev.21:4
I am Connie Watson Trotman, June’s little sister. That’s how she always introduced me. From the time I was very small and until I was grown and left home, there were so many pictures, photos from the newspaper, sheet music and costumes around the house. Oh, the wonderful costumes that our mother, Ruby Watson, made for June as well as the siblings who performed (they all sang and danced) with her, Sonny (Harwood), Ruth, and Mary. Back in those days (the late 30s) there were vaudeville shows all over Knoxville and June was the star. But she was not known as June, but was known as BUNKER HILL Jr. or to the family, Bunky.
Bunky, June, she could sing in the most amazing voice that you have ever heard, for a little girl, And she could yodel, too. Yodeling isn’t easy but her voice had that perfect “break” that a good yodel has to have. Daddy knew he had something when Bunky sang. So in the 30s he loaded up the family in the car and drove to California to see if he could get a movie audition or tryout for Bunky. Shirley Temple was popular then, of course, and even Bunky couldn’t compete with her. I guess they didn’t need another child star right then. She did get a singing audition with Bob Crosby, Bing Crosby’s band-leader brother. Bob wanted Bunky to sing with his band/orchestra and said to Daddy, if the family could just stay in California . . . . But money ran out and they came back to Knoxville and he went back to work.
Another vaudeville performer around Knoxville was Bill Croxdale, a magician. During the early days of television, Bill had a regular TV show featuring Bunky, as he had always called her. By that time Bunky was doing mostly country music altho she was great at popular songs as well. Bunky wanted me to sing with her and make it a sister act. I tried but I just didn’t have the voice she had and which she maintained until the day she died.
Once when we visited Florida (my husband, Henry), we went to see Ruth who invited June and her family over. At family get-to-gethers, there was always a lot of singing. But all the solos belonged to June. This time she had brought her daughter, Pat, and the two of them sang for hours. It was just wonderful. June’s voice was still great and Pat’s voice was almost as good as her mother’s. We hope Pat will continue to carry on the singing tradition established by her mother.
