June Mesirow Statmore

Born on June 25, 1937 to Albert and Anna Mesirow, June Elinor Mesirow Statmore died peacefully at home on April 22, 2025, supported by her loving husband, Kenny.

A native Washingtonian, June received her BA in English at the George Washington University and when her children were still young, she went back to school to earn her Master of Arts in Teaching at William Paterson University before embarking on a 20-year career as an English teacher.

During her final semester at GW, she met the love of her life, Kenny, who was finishing his law degree at Georgetown. They met through a mutual friend in February of 1959 and were married by the end of December. That was the start of their more than 65-year love affair.

A devoted mother to Elizabeth and Michael, June created a strong sense of family among the four of us, centered on encouraging our courage, standing up for what we believed in, and always coming together at the end of the day to share stories over dinner. Wherever we were, June fostered a love of books. Some of our happiest, most iconic family memories are of the four of us sitting in a row in our low beach chairs at the ocean's edge in Avalon, feet being lapped by the waves as the sun rose over the horizon, noses buried in paperback spy novels or murder mysteries.

June's greatest passion was creativity in the service of those she loved, and in every artistic form she pursued, she taught that self-expression was the highest and most powerful form of healing for the soul. Her creative output was boundless - whether she was sewing Batman, Robin, and Batgirl costumes, embroidering and hand-smocking fashionable baby clothes, writing poems for Michael and Elizabeth in our lunchboxes, designing puppets or marionettes, writing stories or imaginary award certificates, baking with her granddaughters, teaching creative writing to her high school students at Cherry Hill East or teaching memoir writing workshops to her senior citizen students at Bucks County Community College.

After she retired from public school teaching, June developed a vibrant second career as an acclaimed basketry artist working primarily through Artists of Yardley. Her works were exhibited and awarded in many local and state fiber arts shows.

She and Ken were avid classical music supporters - Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Boosters for Cherry Hill High School East, never missing a single concert that Elizabeth, Michael, and Kelly performed in.

And then, having parented her children through Cherry Hill East, June joined their English faculty and became one of the most beloved and cherished teachers there. She was both a realist and an optimist who saw the best in people and sought to draw it out, even with her most challenging students. There was no higher honor for her family than to be asked by a stranger if we were related to Mrs. Statmore, who had taught them at East.

A dedicated Phillies fan and a long-suffering NY Giants supporter to her husband and son, June also had a rich spiritual life, including meditation retreats with her daughter Elizabeth as well as a deep tai chi practice.

She and Ken traveled widely together, exploring all over the U.S. and Europe. One of our favorite memories was our amazing whole-family trip to Alaska in 2007.

June was preceded in death by her brother, Harold Mesirow.

She is survived by her beloved husband of more than 65 years, Ken; her daughter Elizabeth and her husband David Bassin; her son Michael and daughter-in-law Kelly; her granddaughters Annie and Olivia, and Olivia's husband Dan Butler; and her very dear great-grandchildren Nate, Abigail, and Elinor. June is also remembered and cherished by her many friends, relatives, colleagues, and fellow artists, as well as by the generations of students she taught and mentored.

A private family memorial is planned. Contributions in June's memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.