June Ramsey
June 28 1954 - May 30 2019

Aunt June was that girl — the wanderer, the thrill-seeker. No stone was left unturned in her life. 

June had a will of iron with a positivity that matched her will. She traveled around the United States, Mexico and Asia- she met and connected with so many people. June was like the mysterious beautiful woman in the crowd at a party where people just flocked to her.

And hilarious. We laugh and cried countless times. Like hyenas. Literally.

She had an appetite for good food as well.  Our family is well-known for seeking out good food and lots of it.  She was known to trick someone into bringing her food; she’d call down about dinner time (calling countless family members the same night) to ask what we were making and then either come down and join us or have a family member bring it up to her. 

Later in life with the progression of her deteriorating health, when we would visit UCSF, her survival attitude inspired those around her.  Strangers would approach her after finding out that she was 20+ years on the other side of multiple organ transplants and just want to talk to her.  To look in her eyes and see that she was fine.  And she was. It gave them hope themselves that they would be OK. Doctors would stop by and visit to talk to her and get a good look.  She was a medical miracle - the longest surviving double lung and heart transplant recipient in California. 

She believed deeply in God and devoted much of her time to studying scriptures and letters about religion and the second coming of Christ.  It wasn’t a topic that we agreed on, but I think it’s one of the reasons she was so strong all these years.

Aunt June helped to bring back beading and weaving to the Blue Lake Rancheria with the help of many others.  She learned from the Lara family out of Trinidad where to harvest the grasses, how to store them, how to make animal skin rattles, natural indigenous material dream catchers, clubs, carved bone knives or clubs and beautifully beaded jewelry.

She loved all of us like her own children and treated us that way.

That’s the Aunt June that I knew.

— Mandi Kindred, Blue Lake Rancheria

The Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe is hosting a memorial service for the honorable June Ramsey, a beloved tribal elder.

Where: Kinetik Lounge at Blue Lake Casino located at 777 Casino Way, Blue Lake, CA 95525.

When: Sunday, July 28, starting at noon. All those who knew June are welcome to attend.

The ceremony will be followed by a ribbon cutting at the new Blue Lake Rancheria cemetery that will be dedicated to Diane Holliday.  Diane served the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe as an elected Tribal Councilmember for over 20 years. She was a strong community force for improving people’s lives through better healthcare and education.

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