June was born in Washington D.C. to John Henry Walsh and Alice Holmead Edmonds. She grew up with two older brothers, Daniel and John, and a younger brother Edmond. They spent a lot of time finding new and creative ways to tease one another.
June attended Strayer college in Washington DC and caught the eye of accounting student and fraternity president, John Kovach Jr. They fell in love and married on August 22, 1953. The depth of that love would be tested when John moved June from her beloved New England across the country to barren Southwestern Wyoming where he was from. She may have approached the transition eagerly as her impression of Wyoming was set by the 1953 Western, "Shane" which was filmed in the picturesque Jackson area. Unfortunately, Rock Springs is the opposite of Jackson. She often said, “If I would have had money in those early days, I would have purchased a plane ride home to New England!”.
While in Wyoming she bore her first two children (Colleen and Jon), moved three times between the "resort destinations" of Rock Springs, Green River, and Powder Wash Camp (Colorado), while her husband John worked as an accountant, a Wyoming State Senator from Sweetwater County and served in the National Guard. June spent her time raising her children and interacting with John’s extended family. She grew to love the Windriver Mountains, Tetons, Flaming Gorge and nearby Green River.
Moving to Long Beach CA in 1962, June returned to her love of learning. She pursued her college education, while developing her art talent. Made new friends and bore her third child, (Robert).
Her pursuit of education continued when the family moved to Simi Valley, CA., where she continued her education and completed a master’s degree in Speech Pathology from California State University Northridge. She began a 25-year career with Los Angeles Unified School District as a Speech Pathologist, where she went above and beyond by providing food, toys, and school supplies for many of her students in impoverished areas of LA.
While in Simi Valley she discovered a love for tennis. True to her nature she excelled, becoming a Tennis Pro (5.0 player). She enjoyed teaching tennis to those who couldn’t afford lessons and provided opportunities for many young men and woman to go on to excel in tennis themselves. She attempted to instill her love of tennis in all her grandchildren. She succeeded with her oldest grandson Travis Broersma who played tennis in High School and her youngest Taylor Kovach. In her later years she competed and won in various national senior tournaments.
June made many friends in Simi Valley where she and husband John were both beloved in their local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. June continually sought opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. She encouraged and assisted people of all ages to complete their education. She and John fostered a 6-year-old daughter Sylvia. Later, when Sylvia was no longer with them, June offered to pay the full cost of a college education if Sylvia chose to complete it.
After raising her children, June welcomed a son-in-law and daughters-in-law (Dan Broersma, Janice Garrett, and Christi Zornes) and ultimately eight grandchildren (Travis and Rachel Broersma, Holly Andrews Kovach, Jon, Garrett, Kadie, Jake, and Taylor Kovach) and three great grandchildren (Harold Broersma, Jayce, and Brayden Andrews). She took special interest in each grandchild and looked for ways to help them develop their talents from horseback riding to tennis, art, and everything in between.
She and John discovered the North Shore of Kauai, bought a time-share, and returned dozens of times throughout the years, often bringing family and friends to enjoy it with them.
They later moved to McKinney, Texas where they lived out the remainder of their days. June continued to make friends, pursue her art, play and teach tennis, and serve others.
June bore the heavy load of caring for John, who had Alzheimer’s disease during his later years. She kept him with her at home for most of that time. They were always happiest when together and she did everything within her power to extend that, if possible, eventually she was no longer physically able to.
Hers was a life full of service to others. She had an immense capacity for giving freely of her time, talents, and knowledge. As her husband was near death, with children gathered around her, she spent her last days preparing meals until she no longer could, literally serving others until the end of her days. She passed away just five days after John on March 9, 2022, after almost 69 years of marriage.