Alpha June Fike

Alpha June Fike, daughter of the late Roy Herbert and Mary Louella (Davis) Fike, was born June 29, 1928, in Star, Idaho, and passed away July 31, 2019, at Autumn Oaks Caring Center in Mountain Grove, Missouri. She was 91 years, 1 month, and 2 days of age.

June’s family moved to a farm near Competition, Missouri, in 1933. They became active members of the Porter Chapel Union Church near their farm. The family sold the farm in 1977 after Alpha’s father passed away in 1976.

June attended Fair Knob School with Glennis Shamel as her teacher for the first four years. Then June went to Competition Consolidated Schools, graduating from high school in 1946. June was valedictorian of her senior class. After high school, June taught in rural schools in Laclede County for four years, including Heard School near Sunny View and Sycamore School near Lynchburg.

June graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia, in 1954 with a B.S. in Education, majoring in Art and English. Her interest in art took her to New York City for several years where she took a painting course with Philip Guston at New York University. She also took evening classes at Hunter College for Teaching in Early Childhood Education and worked with that age group for the rest of her teaching career. After returning home, she taught in several schools throughout southern Missouri, with her final school being West Plains.

Besides her parents, June was preceded in death by her brother, Tom Fike, her sister and brother-in-law, Virginia and Walter Dial, and her brother-in-law, Ralph Dowden.

She is survived by one brother, Ken Fike and his wife, Lillian, of Lebanon, Missouri, three sisters, Myrlene Dowden of Manes, Missouri, Dorothy Jordan and her husband, Joe, of Springfield, Missouri, and Glenda Ruth Underwood and her husband, Joe, of Lexington, Illinois, her sister-in-law, Charity Fike of Shoshoni, Wyoming, several nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends, and former students who will miss her singing, wit, wisdom, and positive influence.