HAPPY 85^th BIRTHDAY GRANDMA JUNE!!!!

MY LAST PHOTO WITH GRANDMA JUNE 7/4/07

Today, February 13th, 2015, marks my Grandma June’s 85^th birthday.  Sadly we lost this fine lady seven years ago and barely a day goes by that I do not think of her.  I know many grandchildren are close with their grandparents, but my five cousins and I were all very close to her.  In our family I am not sure if any of us ever ask ourselves the question, WWJD/What would Jesus do?  However, I am pretty sure most of us have asked WWGJD/What would Grandma June do?  I know whenever something big happens in my own life, I often wonder what would Grandma June think and how would she react.  There are many times when I feel that there is no one else I would rather talk to right now than her. 

AFTER A LONG DAY IN DISNEY WORLD, GRANDMA JUNE IN CENTER WITH NIKI ON HER LAP.

She was such a loving woman, who only wanted to spend time with her family and dogs, which were also family in her book.  Growing up we will butt heads with are parents at times, whom are trying to do their best to raise us right.  However, I tend to find that grandparents are less concerned about if we are getting good grades or not; instead they just want us to be happy.  One of my favorite memories of Grandma June was when all the cousins, some of our parents, and Grandma June all went together to Disney World.  It was decided that since we would be walking a lot, it was best to rent Grandma June a wheel chair during the day.  For some crazy reason they let us kids push her in the wheel chair.  I remember her chair hitting some other tourist ankles occasionally and her being pushed into a water fountain, by my cousin, Chris.  The best part of having Grandma June there in the wheel chair was when we rolled up to rides and stated that one of us in the group was in a wheel chair and they would let us move ahead in the line.  There would be a total of 12 of us cutting ahead of everyone else. God bless, Grandma June, we would make her go on all the rides, such as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. In that ride, once you hit the top floor in the elevator, it suddenly drops and many of the riders rise from their seats as it reaches a top speed of 30.7 miles per hour.
Growing up I always had a passion for history, which I credit my mother for, whom has always loved historical fiction novels.  So back in 2001, I got myself a small tape recorder and conducted three interviews with Grandma June on her childhood and growing up in Milwaukee.  I believe we did these interviews in her car, at McDonalds, and in her bedroom.  I learned that she was the fourth and last child of Ed and Rose Riopell.  She grew up in a boarding house, that her parent’s ran, for Marquette students.  She married, Jack Marine, my Grandpa, whom was kid that she grew up on the same block as her.  A few years ago for Christmas I finally edited these tapes for my family and I tried to do my best imitation This American Life.  I called the final product The June Tapes, which down below are a few minutes of the tapes.  Grandma June is talking about World War II and how it was for her family.  I miss her so much, but she lives in on my memories and I know she is with me where ever I go.