Obituary of June Rita Van Knowe
June R. (Dodge) Van Knowe, age 91 of Rome, passed away peacefully to be with her Lord in Glory, on May 15, 2023, after a short illness, with her son by her side.
June was born in Beverly, MA, where she lived for most of her life, on May 8, 1932 to the late Ernest and Mable (Dooling) Dodge, and attended the Beverly public schools. In 1947, she married Donald Van Knowe and raised their two children, Glenn and Rhonda whom she dearly loved, in Beverly over the next 20 years. In 1964, she graduated from the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School of Nursing, and was a licensed practical nurse for over 40 years, retiring in 2006. Over her career as a nurse, she worked for several hospitals around the North Shore of Massachusetts, as well doing private duty nursing. In 2016, she relocated to the Rome area to be near her son and daughter-in-law, and has lived at the Terrace at Woodland home since 2017.
June was an outdoor person, loved nature, and enjoyed walking outside no matter the weather. But the most important things in her life were her Christian faith and family. June will be missed by all who knew her but she will never be forgotten.
She is survived by her son, Glenn and his wife, Sandra of Westernville, NY; grandsons, Jason Van Knowe, and Lance Silva; granddaughters, Lisa Stearn and Brianna Silva; as well as many nieces, nephews and great grandchildren. She also is survived by many special friends including her sister-in-law, Sally Giaimo, Britta Berry, and her family of Rome, and Nathaniel Paul of Westernville who were so kind to her in her last days with us. She is predeceased by her beloved daughter, Rhonda (Van Knowe) Silva; and her sister, Pricilla Dodge.
A celebration of life service will be conducted in June’s honor at the Terrace at Woodland on Saturday, June 3 2023 at 4 PM. Please arrive no later than 3:45 PM.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution to your local CareNet would be appreciated.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Barry Funeral Home, 807 W. Chestnut Street.
