June Dutton

1924 - 2016

June Klingborg Dutton

June 5, 1924 - January 19, 2016

Born June 5, 1924 in Seattle, Wa., June died peacefully on January 19th in Burlingame of natural causes. She was the daughter of Frans and Eva Klingborg, second generation Swedish Americans. In the early years of the Depression, June moved with her parents and sister, Constance, to San Mateo, Ca. where they lived in the back of her father's small cabinetry shop for a time. Despite economic hardships, June had a happy childhood. She and "Connie" were devoted to each other and shared an extraordinary bond throughout their lives raising children, working, vacationing, and traveling together. Encouraged by her mother, a pastor's daughter, June developed a love for learning and a passion for literature and writing.

June attended San Mateo High where she met many of her lifelong friends, as well as her future husband, Fred Dutton. Like so many of her generation, she was personally touched by the trauma of WWII when her fiancé Fred was reported MIA and later found to be a POW in Germany. After high school, June attended the University of California, Berkeley where she studied journalism and enjoyed college life as a Tri Delta sorority sister. Following graduation, she quickly put her degree and love of writing to work as the Society Editor for the San Mateo Times.

The 1950s and Â'60s brought dynamic change to June's life. As her husband pursued a career in Democratic politics, her growing family moved about California and eventually to Washington D.C. In the mid-60s, she and Fred separated and June returned to California with her children where she settled in Sausalito and joined her sister's merchandising and publishing business, Determined Productions. June flourished there, honing and leveraging her talents as a wordsmith. She authored a series of children's books and became the company's de-facto editor in chief. She loved her work and gladly mentored young colleagues. An avid traveler and cook, June loved touring the world sampling new foods and collecting local recipes. She blossomed into a true gourmet and soon combined her love for good food and writing in a successful line of small, easy-to-use international cookbooks. June continued working into her eighties. When her health began to fail she faced her final challenge with strength and fortitude. Never one to quietly acquiesce to inevitable decline she approached it with a grace that was a hallmark of her life.

June will be fondly remembered as a "classic" woman of her generation. Known for her stylish good taste, terrific social skills, and dry sense of humor, she loved sharing her warm and welcoming home. She adored setting a beautiful and generous table. She lived overseas with her children several times on the notion that understanding and appreciating other cultures is a good thing. She was particularly passionate about politics, especially women's issues. An unabashed lifelong progressive, she was active in a variety of organizations working to advance and protect women's rights. Never one to bend her beliefs for the sake of prevailing social norms, June was always ahead of the curve and prepared to forcefully defend and promote her views on important social issues.

June's family will always treasure memories of her unconditional love and affection, her consistent encouragement, and enthusiastic support of their interests and varied life paths. June is survived by son Christopher (and his wife Young Ah), daughters Lisa and Eve (and her husband Greg), and four grandchildren, Zoe, Scott, Kevin and Andrew.

To honor June's memory it is requested donations be made to a local women's shelter, Planned Parenthood, or other organizations working on behalf of women's rights.

June's children will host a reception to honor her on March 19th in Sausalito.