Barbara June Jostrom

1934 – 2023

Barbara June Jostrom, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, transitioned to her heavenly home on April 23rd, 2023 in Fresno, CA, her daughters at her side. Living a dynamic life through her roles as an educator, artist, writer, seamstress, cook, and businesswoman, she was as strong, intelligent, and independent as ever at almost 89. Her sudden departure was painfully unexpected.

Barbara June Bennett was born June 25, 1934 in her grandparents’ home near Colony, Oklahoma. The beloved daughter of Letha Mae Caldwell Bennett Paden and Glenn Roy Bennett, and dear sister of Glenda Sue Bennett Doughman, she was known as “June” to her family and friends.

June spent her formative first nine years in the Oklahoma farm fields, instilling a lifelong love for farming and gardening. The hardships of the 1940s took her and her family on the historic migration to California, where they settled in Sanger. Her integration to California life was a natural and welcome transition to her intellectually curious mind, where the school, theatre, and public library were now a short walk from home.

As June was entering high school, her family bought the Tollhouse Café and moved to the Sierra Nevada foothills. A high school honor student at Sierra Joint Union High School, June played piano and softball, and was active in student government. She also worked long hours in the family restaurant. An avid cook throughout her life, June got her big start as a teen when she complained to her mom about the subpar performance of the head chef, to which her mom replied, “The job’s yours.” Not only did June take on the role, she soared. Most notable was her signature apple pie, the secret to which she passed along to her granddaughter, Rebecca (June recently noted this as one of her most cherished legacies).

During these teen years, a tall, dashingly handsome young man named Robert “Bob” Eugene Jostrom entered the scene. He’d heard about the beautiful new young woman up at the Café, and decided to meet her for himself. While Bob recalled, “June was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen,” June was captivated by the charm and wit of the young man riding a motorcycle. Bob and June were married 63 years.

Bob’s career took the young couple throughout California, where they lived in numerous towns, while traveling extensively throughout the western U.S. June continued her education during this time, graduating from Fresno State University with a B.A. in English, Minor in Social Studies, and a Secondary Teaching Endorsement. A voracious reader, June chose to major in English because, “It finally gave me an excuse to curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and read books all day.”

It was during those years of travel that June and Bob took a momentous trip to Oregon’s stunning Willamette Valley in the early 1960s. Captivated by its solitude and beauty, they bought 60 acres along the Mohawk River in Marcola, relocating with their two young daughters in 1971. They had found their ideal home, realizing a shared dream of farm living. June was a Marcola resident for 51 years.

June, blessed with a wealth of talent, pursued many endeavors throughout her life. With a passion to educate and inspire the next generation, she served her community and the Marcola School District, first as a school board member and classroom volunteer, then as the Assistant Librarian, Special Ed Paraprofessional, and Head High School Office Administrator. Also during these years, June found time to obtain her tax preparer’s license, join a stock trading club, and travel, most notably to France and Italy, all while managing a home, family, and farm.

June also loved fashion and was an exceptional seamstress. Even in her 80s, she could be spotted stylishly dressed, sporting her favorite cherry red purse. In the 1980s and 90s, June and her mother founded a business under the label, Somebody’s Grandmother, selling their handcrafted and bespoke clothing and homewares, as well as farm-grown produce, homemade jams, and baked goods. In her later years, June served as the primary eldercare giver to both her mother and husband for over two decades.

At the age of 75, June picked up a brush and became a watercolorist. As a lifelong creative, her transition to fine art was a natural one, where she specialized in flowers, trees, animals, and portraits. Her work was on display in the Eugene Springfield area. 

June was loyal, dedicated, faithful, and always there for her family. She recently wrote to her grandson, Joel, “My family is my greatest joy, my one accomplishment in my time on earth.” Through her inspirational and selfless acts of service, June created a profound and lasting legacy. She truly embodied Jesus’ words, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

Here to cherish June’s memory are her two daughters, Kirsten Seaberry of Clovis, CA and Barbara Jostrom Gates of Danville, CA and their husbands, Ben and Alan, along with her beloved grandchildren, Karissa, Rebecca, and Jessica Seaberry, and Adam and Joel Gates. June will be greatly missed by her many dear relatives and friends. In addition to her parents and sister, June is preceded in death by her husband, Robert Jostrom, and her granddaughter, Miranda Gates.

A memorial service and reception were held the day before June’s 89th birthday, on June 24, 2023 at Andreason’s Buell Funeral Chapel in Springfield, Oregon, followed by a family graveside service at Lower Mabel Cemetery near the family farm in Marcola. June and Bob were laid to rest simultaneously, next to family and friends, along the peaceful Mohawk River.

June’s family would be humbly grateful and honored for memorial contributions to be made to the Marcola Education Foundation in her memory.