June A. Gilbert (Nee Greisch)

June (nee Greisch) Gilbert died peacefully in Grafton at Aurora Medical Center on June 16th, at the age of 95. She was born on June 3, 1923 to Joseph and Ella (nee Metzner) Greisch of Sheboygan. Even at birth she had a fight to live – she weighed just under 2lb’s. June was preceded in death by her husband Russell Gilbert. She is survived by her children: Pam (Robert) Merklein, Ronald (Charlotte) Tuuri, Jeffrey (Liz) Tuuri and Debra (John) Block. June was also blessed with an extended family of two step-daughters that she loved very dearly: Sue Alexy and Linda (David) Flatten. Nothing brought June greater joy than spending time with her family. She was blessed with many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. June also felt blessed to have wonderful nieces, nephews and their families in her life. She considered everyone at Willowbrook as part of her extended family. You could always find June taking part in any activity that was going on. She and Russ moved to Ocala Florida, so they could enjoy warm weather, flea markets, golfing, bowling, bingo, swimming and many early bird specials! June loved to spend time with children at the beach. If she wasn’t sunbathing on a towel nearest you, you would find her playing in the tide with a child. As time marched on, it was time for June to come back to Wisconsin to be closer to family. We were blessed with 8 years of having her close to all of us, which gave so many people some wonderful life lessons. Love every day, live every day to the fullest, forgive often and it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. June had a way of lighting up a room. She was always willing to help those in need. Things that brought June joy included Wii Bowling, Bingo, Happy Hour and her Breakfast Club at Willowbrook. She loved going to the Chinese Buffett, Chuck’s for dinner … but most of all it was all of her family and friends. June’s biggest fear was to not be able to do things for herself. Her life was definitely on her terms. One thing that many of us will remember her telling the Palliative Care RN was “Life is Life.” Each one of us can take away some different meaning from that – but those of us around her might believe it was her subtle way of saying life isn’t always fair, but it is important that we try to be fair and help others in need. Ten things you might not have known about June, 1) she was a cheerleader, 2) she rode horses, 3) she tap danced, 4) she loved to sew, 5) she enjoyed doing floral displays and took classes, 6) she catered and was able to tell you how many pounds of ground beef would serve a crowd of 100 in no time, 7) she got a 9/10 split bowling and fell hurting her ankle, 8) she played tennis and actually won a tennis racket during a competition, 9) she loved to knit, and 10) she was never afraid to try new things. Many of us will recall June playing baseball in high heels, hitting tennis balls in wedges and how she loved shoes. Please join us for a Memorial and Life Celebration at Willowbrook Place, 205 Green Bay Road in Thiensville on Monday, June 25 at 7pm. Reverend Philip Hillenbrand of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church will be officiating. There will be a light dinner and beverages after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the charity of your choice are appreciated.