June Ann Ringstad

Obituary of June Ann Ringstad

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, grandmother, and aunt, June Ann Ringstad, 95, of Glenwood City, Wisconsin, who passed away peacefully on September 14th, 2025, at the Baldwin Care Center in Baldwin, Wisconsin, surrounded by her family.

June (or Junie to some) was born on October 15th, 1929, to Earl and Alice Villman, Sr. in Springfield Township new Glenwood City, Wisconsin. She is preceded in death by her husband, Leon, her son, Gary, her parents, and many other loving family members. June was the last survivor of the family's eleven children, including spouses. She was united in marriage to Leon Ringstad and together they had three children: Gary (Yvonne), Deanna (Terry) McGee, and Julie (late Mark) Primoli; grandchildren, Brandon McGee, Dustin (Jolee) McGee, Ben (Angela) McGee, Shannon (Matt) Dorwin, Matt (Mikayla) McGee, Camille (Wyatt) Primoli, Angelica (Kyle) Kennedy, Shane (Tracy), Nathan (Jamey), Breanne, their stepbrother, Danny Brandt; nephew, Clifford (Jeanine) Larson; ten great-grandchildren.

Mom worked on the farm for many years and also worked at Sons Tool, McMillan Electric, and Sanna Dairies. She did piece work for an automotive distributor and a sewing projects business. She finally retired from the Park View Nursing Home in Woodville when she was 83.

Some of the lessons we learned from Mom were spoken in childhood, and others were modeled throughout her life.

With her extremely strong will, she would attempt anything on her own. That she was just five feet tall and a woman were never factors.

She taught herself to read music and play the organ, which she did for church services. She hosted many overnight guests over the years, cooking and cleaning in preparation.

She wasn't a fan of swearing when we were young and she got her point across with a handy bar of soap that she wasn't afraid to use. For the record, when we were children, "fart" was a swear word.

Mom was a classic farm woman. She was up at five o'clock every day and milked the cows twice a day. Once the chores and milk dishes were done, she pulled off her milk bonnet and went to the house to make breakfast for about eight people. Between breakfast and lunch, Mom would clean the house, buy groceries, wash the clothes and hang them out to dry, mow the lawn, and sometimes make sandwiches and a gallon jar of Kool-Aid and drive them to the men where field work was in process and there was no time for a lunch break.

There were never fewer than three meals a day served in that kitchen. And between Mom and Grandma, pies, cakes, cookies, bars, and homemade bread were staples. She prepared and served supper before doing the evening chores. Mom was often known to get up in the wee hours of the night to go to the barn and check on a cow that was expected to freshen. She wasn't one to sit down often, except for meals, and she didn't take naps. During spring cleaning there was an even busier flurry of activity that would go on for days. She washed curtains, windows, screens, shampooed the carpet, dusted, mopped, cleaned the basement, rearranged the furniture, and painted anything inside or out that needed it. The smell of bleach was present, the windows were open, and there was usually a record playing on the stereo.

Mom tackled painting the outside of the house when it needed it, though Sonny likely helped her, as he did with many jobs that required two people. She planted flowers outside and grew vegetables some summers. She hung Christmas lights on the house and flocked the Christmas tree a beautiful white. She sometimes milked cows for one of her sisters and dug worms for a bait distributor for extra money to help make ends meet. Whatever she took on, she didn't do anything halfway or sloppy-she always put her heart and soul into it. Her passion for the farm and everyone on it ran deep.

Mom enjoyed working outdoors and mowing the large yard, especially on hot, humid days, usually with a bandana wrapped around her head. These were the rare times she would drink half a can of beer and often stated that it was the only time beer really tasted good. She enjoyed growing perennials, planted many varieties of trees, and loved to nurture her hanging flower baskets. She seemed happiest with a shovel in her hand, digging a hole for either a new tree or creating a new flower bed. She continued many of these tasks as she grew older when her body complied.

Mom saw beauty in things that others might not have noticed. She admired "sponge rocks," as she called them, that lay in a creek bed that rambled through an area of the pasture. Having a vision for them, she spent a couple days digging and prying them from the creek bottom with an iron rod. She then made a large flower bed in the backyard with those rocks and filled it with pink petunias for many years. The rocks also adorned various places around the yard, many of them holding her favorite succulents that she lovingly referred to as "clucks," (winter hardy sempervivum), carefully relocating the babies that grew off each mother to those lovely pockets in the stones. She enjoyed a beautiful hedge of Annabelle hydrangeas, many hostas, a small pond with a waterfall she created with one of her sons-in-law, and a prided rose vine. Birds and birdsong brought her joy, often being able to name a bird by its song alone. She was especially fond of hummingbirds and yellow finches, filling many feeders with thistle seed and nectar.

Music and dancing brought smiles and happiness to Mom's life, and she even learned how to roller skate in her 40s. She and Dad were members of the Belles and Beaux Square Dance Club where they made many new friends. In her later years, she became enamored with Daniel O'Donnell, an Irish singer, which led to many years of trips to Branson with the family to see his shows.

As a grandma, Mom continued to have cookies, cake, Special K bars, Rice Krispie bars, and a refrigerator full of food on hand just in case "the kids" should come by, which of course, included adult children, grandchildren, her nephew and his wife, and anyone else who should stop for a visit.

After our brother, Gary, died, Mom and Dad both were central figures in Shane, Nate, and Breanne's lives, and were instrumental in attempting to fill that void to positively guide and influence them.

Being one of eleven kids born during the Great Depression, she once said that even among the poor kids in the area, they were considered among the poorest. She used the lessons she learned in childhood as the foundation that would shape her values and her life. She was humble and honest, devoted to God, Bible study being routine for most of her life, and she openly thought about and wrestled with life's deeper topics. She forgave often, resisted judgment, and held her deepest hurts silently inside, perhaps drawing on her faith to accept them. She hurt when she saw others hurting, and she routinely put others' needs before her own, but without drawing attention to herself. Her strong work ethic is seen today throughout our family. Mom mattered in our world, and she made a difference for many throughout her life. Her generosity, unconditional love and kindness were unmatched.

Mom will be missed greatly, and we are forever grateful for her in our lives and her many lessons. Her love and empathy, combined with her toughness and perseverance were a testament to her character and her integrity.

A private service for the immediate family will be held to honor Mom.