Super Mom

June Pearl Mack was born on June 13, 1925, in Riverside, CA.  She was third of four girls in her family (on the left in this photo).

She was a good student and enjoyed music growing up, learning to play the violin, and graduated from Riverside Poly High School.

In 1945 she met and married an Army Air Force officer, Charles Walker, who was stationed at nearby March Field.

Two children came quickly–Wendie in January 1947, and Barry in September 1948.  Charles’ Air Force career sent them to various locations across the country and in Europe.  Soon after her third child, Craig, was born in December 1951, she and the kids joined Charles in Germany, then England, before coming back to the states and living in Havre and Great Falls, MT.

Child number four, Sandra, was born in July 1955.

She became a temporary single mother for a year in 1959 when my dad was stationed at a remote site in Newfoundland.  Child number 5, Glade, was born in October of that year.

Child number six, Kevin, came in February 1964, followed by more single motherhood for 15 months in 1965-66 while my dad was stationed in Saudi Arabia.

My mother always had lots of energy.  Good thing, too, with six kids to keep up with.  There was never anything she wouldn’t do for her children.

I remember as a youth thinking I was lucky to have the greatest mother in the world.  I still think that.  And this Thanksgiving weekend this is something I can feel so thankful for.