Obituary of June Blalock Busbee

June lived a life of easy-going humor no matter the challenge.  She never lost her playful spirit or sense of humor despite her increasingly diminished abilities. In the end old memories intertwined to make new memories that brought her pleasure and laughter. This card of a woman, a valentine, passed away at home on April 24, 2019 in Aiken, SC, at aged 98 comforted by her two children, Sandra and Danford, at her side.

June, the third of nine children, was born June 16, 1920 in Burnet County, Texas, to Vernon Emmitt “Pete” Blalock and Maud Thankful Baugh Blalock. A tomboy, she grew up riding horseback in central Texas helping Pete roundup horses or cows. She attended a one-room schoolhouse through high school, delighted in all sports and was one of the school’s two cheerleaders.

June often joked her tombstone epitaph should be crossed baseball bats with “Never made it to World Series.”  “Never” was removed when she attended the 1999 World Series in Atlanta.  The following year at 80 years young her thrill was pitching the first ball at an Astros vs Braves game in Houston.  Yes, she was an avid Braves fan.  

A compassionate and religious woman, any misbehaving in church by her children resulted in her quietly administering a steel grip to the leg that could almost cut off the blood supply.  However, Sandra and Danford’s worst punishment was disappointing her.

Unsolicited acts of kindness, quietly offered to others in need, were a testament to her good heart.  A trait she learned from her parents during the Great Depression as men riding the rails hopped off as they passed the farm. Pete would give them some farm work and, whenever they decided to move on, Maud provided each with a jar of beans and cornbread.

June loved a good card game mostly Canasta, Bikini or Solitaire.  She had a simple tailored style and could sew vogue patterns without the directions until her sight faded. She had a lifelong affair with chocolate, ice cream and fig preserves and later salmon. Didn’t care for TV and listened to country music.  The Saturday Evening Post was her favorite magazine. Some favorite songs were “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night and Janis Joplin’s social commentary “Mercedes Benz”. A frequent description “she was a good sport.”   Her strongest curse was, “May all your children be born naked.”

After graduation she worked various jobs in Austin, but passed on an art scholarship to University of Texas with a quip, “If I model nude I’d have to put a bag over my head.”  She met and married Edward Arnold Meischen in 1942. A lifetime joy was playing second base for the Austin Seven Ups women’s amateur baseball team. 

During WWII June was in Pine Bluff Arkansas and Fort Sill Oklahoma, making detonators for Army Air Corps bombs.  After the war the couple moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where Sandra and Danford were born and June was adamant from the day they were born that both were going to college.  Her life was her kids. Funny to watch June humor Dan’s childhood animal imagination, he’d only answer to what he imagined himself to be that day - horse, dog, bird… “Dog, dinner’s ready.”

In 1952, the influx associated with construction of the Savannah River Site brought the family to South Carolina.  One look at Aiken and June knew she’d found her home.  Aiken was a little heaven to her and often commented “If you want to know what hell is like, live on the Texas coast.” In that regard she cemented her ties to the eternal destination and immediately joined the First Baptist Church and served the church in many capacities.  But, she never lost her Texas roots as, about once a month, she’d make a batch of enchiladas from scratch - no jalapenos.

June and Danford spent many evening hours sitting in the front yard of our Crosland Park home and talking about everything as the sun went down and the stars came up. A weekly ritual was June and the kids lying on the linoleum floor watching the Red Skelton Show on a little black and white TV.  June’s real draw though was watching the Braves.  The neighborhood learned the blood curdling screams coming from our house simply meant some Brave had just made a great play.   One weekend Sandra found June following multiple baseball games on TV and radio and quipped, “If you don’t turn off one of those games, I’m leaving.” June’s simple reply was, “Bye.”  Laughter!  

Baseball was not her only sport love.  At the Pyramid Stadium in Memphis, a tour guide could not recall a basketball player’s name, so 72 year old June piped up with his name, statistics and tidbits of other players as well and became the tour group hit.  Mom loved the Masters and her favorite golfer was Gary Player.

June divorced in 1966, and in 1975 when Dan got engaged to a woman with two children he asked June, “Do you want to be a grandmother?”  In 1993 when June turned 74 and became engaged to Ted Busbee she asked Dan, “Do you want a father?”  Dan gave June away and Sandra was the flower girl.  June had a bad knee and Ted had poor leg circulation so mom’s only request of the preacher was “make it quick.”  

In 1957 June began work at The Farmers and Merchants Bank. In 1970, she became South Carolina’s first woman state bank examiner traveling to a different SC bank every week for 14 years. She enjoyed her work and was very fond of all “the boys” and told stories of their shenanigans, but, after 14 years, it was time to get off the road.  Her retirement consisted of helping a few individuals with their financial record keeping and did part time bookkeeping for Green Boundary while making 1-2 international trips a year.  She was asked to pick up an applicant for a Green Boundary management position at Bush Field. On the way to Aiken she queried him on the Braves, college and pro football, golf, and every other sport she could think of - uninterested.  Before the interview mom said, “Don’t hire him, he doesn’t know anything.”

In 2008, Sandra retired and moved in with mom.  June wanted to see Aurora Borealis so they took off to Alaska and the Artic Circle as well, at 88!  She never lost her sense of humor.  Once after Sandra left the house for a meeting, June fell. She pressed her help button, butt-scooted to phone, but couldn’t reach it; the police responded to her help button alert, but the door was locked, so June butt-scooted to the door, but couldn’t reach the handle.  Just then Sandra arrived, opened the door, and June quipped, “I’ve been mopping the floor.”

Preceded in death by her parents and her siblings: JC Blalock, Virginia Halfhill, Nunnie Clements, Robert “Bill” Blalock, Emmitt “Buster” Blalock, Joe Blalock and survived by Bobbe DiPrimeo and Sammy (Carole) Blalock.  Her husband’s, Edward Meischen and Ted Busbee, also preceded her.  Surviving children are Sandra Meischen of Aiken, SC and Danford Meischen (Susie) of Columbus, Texas, with grandchildren Molly Nefkens (Mike) in Austin, Texas, Matt Meischen of Harrison, Arkansas, and Ryan Meischen in Columbus, Texas, and great grandchildren Joe Nefkens at Santa Clara University and Wil Nefkens at Loyola Marymount University. She is also survived by sister in law, Mae Furtick Busbee, nephews Judson Busbee (Nancy), Doug Busbee (Jackie), Rodney Busbee (Susie) and niece Gwen B. Salley (Rhett).

June will be cremated and her cremains buried at the Blalock family plot in Fairland Cemetery in Fairland Texas.  A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church of Aiken, 120 Chesterfield St. N, Aiken, SC 29801 at 10 am on April 30, 2019. The Rev. Fred W. Andrea III will officiate. The family will receive friends in the church parlor following the service.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to First Baptist Church of Aiken, 120 Chesterfield St. N, Aiken, SC 29801 or ACTS, 340 Park Ave SW Aiken, SC 29801.

The Historic George Funeral Home, 211 Park Ave., SW, Aiken, SC 29801 (803.649.6234), has charge of arrangements.

Expressions of sympathy for the Busbee family may be left by visiting www.georgefuneralhomes.com