June J. Balaban

June J. Balaban, beloved wife, stepmother, sister, grandmother, friend, teacher, counselor, and faithful servant of Christ, died Friday afternoon, August 28, 2026.

June was born September 26, 1939, in Sacramento, California, to Don and Yolene Jackson. She grew up with her siblings, Jean Messick and Melvin Jackson.

Education was an important part of June’s life. She graduated from Sacramento High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Language Arts from Sacramento State University, where she was part of the Pom/Pom Team. She later earned a Master of Arts in American Literature from Portland State University and studied at Multnomah Bible College and Evangelical Lutheran Seminary in Oregon.

June’s professional life included work in retail and as a legal secretary in California and Oregon. After moving to Oklahoma, she served at Southwest Radio Church as an administrative assistant. She also spent many years as a high school English teacher and counselor, retiring after 30 years. As a counselor, she served as an academic and college advisor and developed career education programs. She also supervised Talented and Gifted, SAT, and Home Tutor programs.

June’s faith was not simply something she believed; it was something she lived. Her volunteer ministry through the Lutheran Church touched many lives. She created the “Heart to Heart” Women’s Prayer Partner Program and “Connections,” a fellowship connecting Lutheran high school girls with teen mothers. Through “Books for the Soul,” she collected books for the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud, Oklahoma. Her “Sunshine Program” sent cards and flowers to those who were hurting, while her “Mentoring” ministry encouraged a younger Christian woman.

June also kept and developed the library at the Pauline Mayer Shelter for abused and neglected children and increased the availability of free books in the Oklahoma Juvenile Court lobby.

On January 4, 1997, June married Alvin F. Balaban in Edmond, Oklahoma. Together they shared a life marked by faith, friendship, service, and love. Through Alvin, June became part of the Balaban family, embracing four adult children and, in time, the generations that followed.

June’s Balaban family included Paul Balaban and his wife, Bunny, of Chicago, Illinois; Peter Balaban and his wife, Marilyn, of Edmond, Oklahoma; Carl Balaban; and Susan Balaban Moellinger of Wichita, Kansas.

The Balaban family grew to include many more whom June came to love. Paul and Bunny are the parents of David Balaban and his wife Katy of Antioch, Illinois, and Douglas Balaban of Chicago, Illinois. David and Katy are the parents of Natalie, Nathan, and Nicole.

Peter and Marilyn are the parents of RC and his wife Amanda Balaban of St. Louis, Missouri, and Samuel and his wife Amanda Balaban of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Samuel and Amanda are the parents of Elese and Lucas.

Carl’s son, Christian Balaban, and his wife, Bella of Edmond, Oklahoma.

Susan’s family includes her daughter, Jennifer Garrison, and Jennifer’s husband, Sean, of Wichita, Kansas, and their children, Alyssa and Nicholas. June cherished the love and closeness that bound this family together.

June enjoyed swimming, scuba diving, water aerobics, tennis, and skiing. She loved reading, audiobooks, jigsaw puzzles, Scrabble, and Sudoku. Some of her favorite pastimes were devotions, Bible study, prayer, listening to audiobooks, traveling, and dining with friends. Her favorite flowers were stargazers, pink and white roses, and carnations.

But the clearest picture of June is found in the words she chose for herself: her greatest desire was that ALL her family and friends would come to the Lord, and her greatest hope was “to live and love as Christ did.”

June leaves behind a legacy of faith, service, learning, friendship, and love. Her life was spent not only gathering knowledge but giving it away; not only receiving God’s love but sharing that love with others. She treasured the people God placed in her life and looked to encourage them, pray for them, serve them, and point them toward Christ.

June is lovingly remembered by her brother, Mel Jackson; by the Balaban family she came to love as her own; and by the many family members and friends whose lives were enriched by her presence. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin F. Balaban; her sister, Jean Messick; and her stepson, Carl Balaban.

A service to celebrate June’s life will be held at 2:00 P.M., September 19, 2026 at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel, Edmond, Oklahoma.