June Bible

June Elizabeth Fisher Bible

June Elizabeth Fisher Bible, beloved wife, mother, Grandmum, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, and sister in Christ, passed away peacefully in her family home in Dexter, New Mexico, on January 30, 2025. In her last week of life June had seen or visited with so many of her friends and family. That week she spoke to one of her great grandsons about what it meant to be a “tight-knit family”, which was appropriate, as her faith and close family had been so important during her 95 years of life. 

June Elizabeth was born December 16, 1929, the oldest child of Henry and June Fisher of Utopia, Texas. June Elizabeth spent her early life growing up on the beloved Fisher Family Ranch in a tight-knit family, surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Although a child of the Depression, June’s magical childhood was, as her sister Mary described it, “an ordinary girl born into the best family in the world”. She attended Utopia High School, graduating in 1946, at the age of 16. She was one of 9 graduates in her class whom she enjoyed meeting at reunions and Utopia gatherings over the years. Those early days were also defined by her family’s strong faith and active membership in the Utopia Methodist Church. 

 Education was important to the Fishers and her father’s sister, “Auntie”, was instrumental in helping put June Elizabeth and her siblings through college. She was a source of encouragement as were her parent’s steady stream of letters. June attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Although very homesick, she loved Southwestern where she made life-long friends, graduating with a teaching degree in 1950. She went on to teach in Kerrville, Texas, Corpus Texas, and Sonora Texas, making friends and traveling, spending one summer in Mexico City. June had an adventurous spirit and in 1956 she set sail for Japan, living there one year, teaching school to US Air Force children. She loved the Japanese culture, purchasing kimono robes, Japanese art, and Mikimoto Pearls for her family members. She followed up the next year in England, still teaching Air Force kids, exploring on the weekends, and even spending Christmas in Switzerland.

Returning home, June and her father, headed towards friends in Colorado applying for jobs along the way, landing a position in East Grand Plains, New Mexico. She roomed with longtime friend, Martha Ballweg (Durand), a nurse in Roswell and who eventually set her up on a blind date with E.J. Bible of Dexter, New Mexico. 

June Fisher married E.J. Bible on June 25, 1960. He was the love of her life. They built their home at Lake Van, where they raised their family and where June lived the remainder of her long life. Lake Van in the 1960’s and 1970’s was a place for an ideal childhood, sweet memories of wonderful neighbors, lots of kids who loved playing outside, had the best pool around, and rode bikes everywhere. They had tree houses, monkey bars, the best dogs, a baseball field on an empty lot, and fire crackers! It was a time of wonderful, long summer days playing in each others’ yards, feeling just at home in each other’s houses as their own! Who needed a trampoline? Those kids had Joe’s cotton trailer he would bring home just for that specific purpose. June was one of the neighborhood moms who loved on those kids and kept them in line. Those times for the Bible family were also full of adventures across the Pecos River hunting for arrow heads, pecos valley diamonds, and Indian pottery pieces. June had grown up in the best little town in the world, and she and E.J. had found the best neighborhood in the world for their family! 

June and E.J. were both active members of The First Presbyterian Church of Dexter, they were active in the Dexter community as volunteers on many levels. They were active in scouts and school activities, busy attending ballgames and community events. June stayed home until their son Todd attended First Grade. She returned to teaching, now at Dexter Schools. She taught Kindergarten and Second Grade until she retired in 1988. She received many awards including Teacher of the Year in 1987. In her later years, she would run into her grown students who fondly remembered her as their teacher and as a difference maker in their lives. 

June’s life turned upside down in 1980, when her 16-year-old son, Todd, was killed in a farming accident. From then on, it was a lifetime of grief, but she handled it with grace and helped many others overcome or deal with their troubles. Her faith became deeper, and family ties became even stronger. June enjoyed her time left with her husband and they battled E.J.’s cancer together until he passed in 1993. She spent the remainder of her years involved in her church and community, traveling and enjoying her friends, family and especially grandkids.

June is preceded in death by her beloved husband E.J., her son Richard Todd Bible, her parents Henry Fisher and June Tucker Fisher, by her sister Mary Fisher Willis, her brother Henry Fisher, Jr., and by beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. June is survived by her youngest sister Evelyn Fisher Lebouf, stepdaughter, Teresa Hopkins and husband Richard, daughter Susan Garnett and husband Robert. She is survived by grandchildren Stephanie Bason, Kenna Grigorov and husband Ivalio, Celia Barbieri, Amy Howse and husband Brandon, Drew Garnett and wife Melissa, Sterling Garnett and wife Cristin, Clayton Garnett and wife Sandra. June is survived by great grandchildren Alex, Lucca, Everett, Madison, Kaitlyn, Bennett, Rowan, Micah, Shepherd, Abby, Typhen, Corde, Lyndee, Austin, and Ryan. 

June will be remembered by her family and friends for her faith, especially during hard times, for the difference she made in her community, for her kindness, and her encouraging notes and letters. 

Donations can be made to the First Presbyterian Church Dexter Memorial Fund, PO Box 367, Dexter, New Mexico 88230 or the charity of your choice.