June Massey of Newport, Arkansas departed this life on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at the age of 89. She was born June 19, 1932, at New Castle on Tyne, England and was baptized on July 10, 1932, at St. Stephen’s, Elswick. June was a 1948 graduate of Chiswick Poly Tech School at the age of 16. She attended a business school where she trained as a secretary. June began her secretarial career at Lensbury-Shell Oil Company on the River Thames. In 1953, she and a friend moved to Montreal, Canada where she worked as a legal secretary. June returned home to England in 1954 and worked for a dentist at Bushy Park. She met a young soldier Bobby Clinton Massey, whom she would later follow to the United States, marry and eventually settle in Newport, Arkansas. June began her life in the United States in Reno, Nevada where she worked as a legal secretary and was a blackjack dealer on the side.
The couple married at Umsted Memorial United Methodist Church in Newport on May 21, 1960. Following their marriage, they made their home in Newport where they began their family. In 1967, the family moved to Miami where June worked for Pan Am Airlines.
The young Massey family returned home to Newport in 1968, and over the next fifty-four years, June became a well-known and beloved part of her community. Her career as a legal secretary began at the Pickens, Boyce, McLarty, and Watson firm. As a second career, she was a real estate associate broker for Sink Realty and Insurance and later joined Honey Realty and Insurance as an associate broker and office manager. June officially retired on December 31, 2020, at the age of 88.
She loved life and enjoyed playing tennis and traveling. June’s favorite destinations were England and Australia where much of her family still reside. In later years, she and her siblings met in Hawaii making travel easier for everyone. June was an avid reader. She was a devoted member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and was a member of the Episcopal Church Women and served on the vestry and the altar guild. June also served as church secretary for a number of years.
She will be forever remembered for her tremendous work ethic and generous spirit of kindness and caring. June’s greatest love was her family and the times shared with them.
She was preceded in death by one son, Robert Scott Massey on July 5, 2011; her parents, Sarah Elizabeth Spencer Tait Webber and John Webber; two brothers, James Robert Glover and Edward Glover; one sister, Dorothy Skopal and her father and mother in law, Clint and Hildred Massey.
She is survived by her husband, Bobby Clinton Massey of Newport; one son, Darryl Massey and wife, Kathy, of Newport; one daughter-in-law, Tracy Ray Massey of Beebe; two granddaughters, Sarah Massey Todd and husband, Cody, of Ft. Worth, Texas, and Caroline Massey of Beebe; one grandson, Brad Austin and wife, Brittini, of Tuckerman; and one great-grandson, Brantley Austin of Tuckerman. Also surviving are one brother, John Webber of Adelaide, South Australia; two sisters, Norah Dickeson of Moonta Bay, South Australia, and Irene Curtis of Sunbury Victoria, Australia; several special nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews in England and Australia; her Honey Realty Family including Sandy Honey, Julie Moss, Carol Falwell, Rob Penix, Ginger Carlyle, Seth Davis, and Shannon Haigwood; and a lifetime of friends including her dearest friends of over fifty plus years, Joyce King and Dolores Mingo, and a very special friend, Kim Addington Powers.
Friends may visit at the funeral home, Friday, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Funeral services are 10:00 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with Rev. Annie Jones officiating.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers are Rob Penix, Randy Sexton, Lyn Webb, Dallas Luce, Daron London, Benny Magness, Kenneth Bullard, and Mike L. Jones. Honorary pallbearers are Joyce King, Dolores Mingo, Kim Addington Powers, Tim Watson, Betsy Watson, Rev. Dr.J. Russell Snapp, Ann Rapp, Betty Newell, Yvonne Kieffner, Ann Hout, and Pat Jackson.
Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 301 Hazel Street, Newport, AR 72112.
