Alleta June Tankersley

Alleta June Tankersley, 75, passed away on January 30, 2015. Her services are 1PM Tuesday February 3, 2015 at the First Baptist Church in Eastland, Texas. Visitation will be Monday February 2, 2015 5-7 PM at Edwards Funeral Home Eastland.
June was born on June 6, 1939 in Antelope Flat, Texas to Jefferson Clark Durham and Agnes Allene Thomas. While growing up, June's family lived in Weatherford, Texas; Olney, Texas; Brady, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Dallas, Texas. In 1954, the family settled in Eastland, Texas.
June graduated from Eastland High School in 1957. After graduation, she moved to Dallas for a couple of years before returning home. In Eastland, June worked for the Earl Bender and Company (currently Eastland County Abstract Company). On June 2, 1962, June married Neal Douglas Tankersley. They made their first home in Morton Valley.
In 1965, June and Neal moved to Little Rock, Arkansas for Neal's job. June was over the moon in 1968 when she gave birth to her first daughter Stefanie after trying for so many years. Another short move came in 1969 to Hamilton Square, New Jersey. In 1970, it was time to come back home to Texas. As June was pregnant, her doctor suggested on the drive home she stop every 30 minutes and walk. June declared, "I can't walk back to Texas!" so they flew back instead. June and Neal bought a little house on the prairie in Morton Valley that would be their family home for the next 44 years. Susie was born that December, and Shannon came in 1972. They loved Morton Valley so much that in 1979 when they moved to Goddard, Kansas that they maintained two homes. Finally in 1985 the moves were over, and Eastland would be home for good.
With Neal's job requiring a lot of travel, June was mostly on her own raising her girls, maintaining the household, and even taking care of the livestock. When asked by her daughter Susie how she managed to do it all by herself. June replied, "I loved every minute of it!" And that she did. June loved to plan birthday parties, be room mother, sew clothes for her girls, and do whatever she could to make them happy even if that required driving all over Texas for the perfect prom dress.
June will be remembered for her kindness, selflessness, sense of humor, and gentle nature. She filled our lives with joy and will be greatly missed as a loving mother, grandmother, sister, and best friend.
June is survived by her daughters Stefanie Janicek and her husband Steve Janicek, Susie Guven and her husband Serhat Guven, and Shannon Tankersley, grandchildren: Hunter Owens, Katie Janicek, Sam, Henry and Jacob Guven, sisters: Glenda Crandall and husband Bob and Joann Tate, brother Wayne Durham, sisters-in-law: Josie Coggins and Wanda Thompson and husband Billy, brother-in-law J.C. Tankersley and wife Emma, 5 nephews, and 11 nieces.
June is preceded in death by her husband Neal Douglas Tankersley, parents Jefferson Clark Durham and Agnes Allene Thomas, sister Dixie Edwards and husband Tommy, parents-in-law Calvin H. and Ada Susa Tankersley, brothers-in-law: Lowel Coggins, Weldon Tankersley and wife Delores, and Jon Tate, nephew Jonny Tate, and nieces: Gena and Nanci Tate and Peggy Thompson.