Had an infectious laugh and met everyone with a smile on her face
WAKEFIELD — June Peterson, age 73, a longtime Wakefield resident, passed away peacefully Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers with her loving family by her side.
She was the beloved wife of Charles R. Peterson and the devoted mother of Craig T. Williams and wife, CarolAnn, of Wakefield and Andrea M. Thistle and husband, Ken, of Billerica. A loving stepmother of Robert and William Peterson, Rebbecca Boyd, Julia Bandzul, and Jennifer Madden and a cherished sister of Nancy Sampson and husband, Vincent Salters. Her eleven grandchildren and great-grandchild were the joy of her life.
June was born on November 23, 1948, to John and Rita Sampson and was raised in Waltham along with her dear sister Nancy. After high school, June excelled at the prestigious Catherine Laboure School of Nursing in Boston and began her lifelong career in nursing, education and giving back to her community.
June was very proud of her work as an Emergency Room nurse in local community hospitals including Winchester and Melrose-Wakefield. June knew that her passion for education and compassion as a caregiver was a gift and she set out to make an even greater impact in her field. She completed her BSN in Nursing at Emmanuel College and received the prestigious Clara Barton Award. She then earned her MSN in Critical Care Nursing from Regis College. While pursuing her advanced education, June remained focused on her family and community while working fulltime as a nurse. June was recognized for her Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring as a Daisy Award recipient at Lahey Hospital. At the end of her long and successful career, June held some of her most rewarding positions, as nurse educator at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Lecturer at UMASS Boston.
As passionate as June was about nursing, she was even more so about her family and especially her son Craig and daughter Andrea and later in life her grandchildren and stepchildren. There were not enough hours in the day for her to spend as much time as she would like with her family. June married Charlie Peterson in 2005, who was her great love and perfect partner for her to spend her life with. Charlie, June, family, and friends shared so many of her favorites, including vacations, trips to the beach, dancing, playing games and most of all laughing. June greeted everyone she met with a huge smile and likely a big hug. She had an infectious laugh and happiness that made so many people feel like she was a close friend.
June was so proud of her grandchild and deeply loved being their “Grammy.” Madelynne, Mary Katherine, Joseph and Adrianna shared so many adventures with her and they truly were the joy of her life. She loved expanding her grandmother love to Lily, Lucas, James, Teddy, Samantha, Hailey and Jennielle. Her first great grandchild, sweet Abel, brought her a special joy and sharing the bond of being a grandmother with her daughter Andrea.
June not only made an indelible mark on her family, friends, and co-workers, but also her community. June was an activist for many causes and supporting the victims of domestic violence at the top of her list and served as President of the Wakefield Alliance Against Violence. Her work with the students while teaching at UMASS Boston was life changing for her and them and she formed lifelong bonds.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, that in honor of her lifelong work that donations be sent in her name to The Scholarship Foundation of Wakefield, admin@TSFofWakefield.org to be awarded to a deserving student pursuing a career in Nursing.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St., Wakefield Tuesday at 10. Visitation will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Monday 4 – 8 p.m. Family and friends are invited to join a celebration of her life at Bear Hill Golf Club in Stoneham on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
