June Ann Rose Potter Austin, daughter of Floyd Otis Potter and Edith Louise Johns, was born in Radisson, Wisconsin on April 23rd, 1930 and died peacefully at home in Florida on April 30th, 2016.

Married in 1949, she was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Charles Carlyle Austin. She is survived by her four children, David Charles Austin of California and his wife Susan Levy, Virginia (Ginger) June Austin Wells of Florida, Linda Louise Austin Sullivan of New Hampshire, Mark Lawrence Austin and his wife Sherry Weinberg of California; her brother Timothy Floyd Potter of Florida and his wife Joyce; and all her dearly loved Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren and a Great, Great Grandchild.

She grew up and attended elementary school in Grand Marais, Minnesota where her maternal Grandfather captained ore freighters on the Great Lakes and her parents raised animals, while farming the land. Her paternal Grandmother was a midwife who delivered over 400 babies in rural Wisconsin. Her middle and high school years were spent in Duluth, Minnesota, where she worked for the telephone company and was named Miss Duluth for her poise and grace.

After moving to Hollis, New Hampshire in 1955, she involved herself in the community, including becoming a Boy and Girl Scout Leader. She helped her husband with his engineering company, Austin Gordon Design, in Nashua. After June and her family moved to Nashua in 1965 she began her own occupation as a Christian Science Practitioner, Journal Listed from 1966-2016. She devoted her life to ministry and as a loving wife and phenomenal mother. Family meant everything to her and she was an adored daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, foster mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great, great grandmother. She also held many deep and life long friendships.

She was a member of the Christian Science (CS) Mother Church in Boston, MA; the seventh CS church in Minneapolis, MN; the first CS churches in Nashua, NH and Ocala, FL. June was inspired and grateful for the privilege of working with the Longyear Museum in Chestnut Hill, MA. She served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and President of the Longyear Foundation during her 35 year tenure. This museum shares the knowledge, life and words of the founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. June was a trustee during the memorable moments of selling the original Longyear mansion, building and opening the existing museum, chairing it’s exhibit committee and seeing the museum’s historic home collection grow from five homes to eight.

Some other activities of interest included her advocating for disadvantaged youths as a juvenile probation officer in the Nashua, NH district court; being a Campus Councilor for the College Organization Division of the Mother Church; serving as the CS Committee on Publication for the Nashua, NH area; served on the board and as President of the Interfaith Council and the Mayoral Council in the Nashua, NH area; and she served on the Institutional Committee of the Ocala, FL church, holding monthly services and meeting with inmates at a high security men’s prison. Beginning in 1974, June also gave many Association Addresses, which are 2 days of intensive, inspirational talks and studies for large groups of class taught Christian Scientists. Her final Address was completed by her and then delivered to her Association in Chicago, IL, by a stand-in, 1 week after she died.

She also attended the births of countless numbers of babies, from her patients’ babies to the births of almost every one of her grandchildren and several great grandchildren. Susan Barker, a Concord Midwife, once stated that she never worried about a birth when June Austin was in attendance. June supported the mothers-to-be with her calm and trusting metaphysics.

Her hobbies were skiing, golfing and flying small aircraft. She was a remarkable woman and will be remembered with love.

There will be a luncheon/memorial service for June at the Longyear Museum, 1125 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467 on Sunday, August 28th, at 12:30 PM. Please RSVP by August 14th at laslla624@gmail.com.