Life Story for
June Dwojak Clarke
June Marie Clarke, 83 of Hemet, California, passed away on Tuesday, January 2, 2018, at her home with her children by her side. Born on Saturday, December 22, 1934, in West Hartford, Connecticut, June was the daughter of the late Walter Dwojak and Helen McGowan. Along with her younger sister, Helen, she and her parents moved to California in 1949. At the age of 18, she joined the U.S. Air Force and served for over two years during the Korean War, stationed in New York. During her service, she mastered her skills as a key punch operator and used them later while working for Douglas Aircraft and attending college. She graduated in 1963 from Cal State Fullerton with a BA in English. She moved to Hemet, California in 1968 when hired as an English teacher at San Jacinto High School. Her compassion for kids with special needs led her into Special Education and, after earning her Masters Degree, she brought her talents to Hemet High School and Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley to round out her 30-year teaching career.
June loved adventure and would often take her children on long drives into the mountains on back roads just to see where they would end up. She traveled on solo trips to Greece, Italy, Egypt, Israel and England. Her love of animals – especially cats – involved her in every aspect of rescuing strays and trying to find them homes throughout her entire life. June was an admirer of Native American culture and lore, and studied much of the history of the local tribes around the San Jacinto Valley. She will be sorely missed by those that knew and loved her. Surviving are her son, Wayne Winstead; daughter, Suzanne Zollar; grandchildren Richard Zollar III, Angelica Zollar and Brogan Zollar.
A Funeral service will be at 1:45 PM on Friday, the 23rd in February at Riverside National Cemetery, located at 22495 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, California, 92518. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Humane Society of the United States
