MILLS – In their home in Mills, with the love of her life by her side, June Shirley Curtis Clamp said a temporary goodbye on Aug. 26, 2020.
June was born on June 23, 1927, in the homestead house on her parents’ farm in Torrington to George E. Curtis and Lilly Ada (Moore) Curtis. As the baby of the family, she was spoiled by her older siblings and her parents.
What some today would consider a hard life, she had what she thought was a blessed childhood and always spoke of those days fondly. The school bus rides, the manure fights with the neighbor kids, sleeping in a converted feed house with her sister Doris when the family outgrew the tiny homestead house and many more memories were made.
At the age of 5 June fell into a horse drawn farm implement and after the horses were backed up to get her out of the machine, she had suffered a broken leg and several severe injuries to her hip and ankle. Despite this, she remained an active and agile child and throughout her life most did not know that she lived with one leg shorter than the other.
In junior high, June met the man she would love for more than 77 years, Ray Clamp. June graduated from Torrington High School and after Ray returned from serving in WWII, they were married in Harrisburg, Neb. on Aug. 5, 1946. They lived in Torrington, where Ray began his career as a brick mason, following in the footsteps of
June’s daddy.
The following July they were blessed with the birth of Danny Ray. Tragically Danny’s life was very short when he died of a virus at only 4-months age. A year later Linda was born. After the little family moved to a trailer park in Laramie while Ray worked on the buildings at the University of Wyoming, Sandra and Steve joined the family.
After moving across Wyoming with the brick crew for a time, the family settled in Mills, first living in a trailer park and then moving to a lot on Platte Street where Curtis was added to the clan. The Clamps then moved to their little white house in upper Mills and in a few years, Scott made the group complete.
Some might say June never was a working Mom, but anyone who has cared for five kids under age 14 knows what a foolish statement that is. June busied herself being our Mom.
Room mother, attending sports events from baseball to motor-cross races, sewing dresses and Halloween costumes and creating special holidays and family celebrations were just the “norm” the Clamp kids took for granted and that special benefit was continued for grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
June enjoyed bowling and volleyball and, in their retirement years, Ray and June traveled in their motorhome to all the states and much of Canada accompanied by Ray’s cousin Katy Weakland and June’s sister Doris. Long before computer mapping systems, June planned these trips with AAA books and guides. They also took trips to Hawaii and Europe and spent many days trekking around Wyoming’s lakes and mountains. Together they shared a full life filled with family and friends.
June was preceded in death by her parents, son Danny, sisters Doris Curtis and Bertha Morris, brothers Neil and Donald Dean Curtis, son-in-law Larry Montgomery, and very special niece Joanne Stoneking.
She is survived by Ray, her husband of 74 years, children Linda Mongomery, Sandra Warner (Jeff), Steven Clamp (Peggy), Curtis Clamp (Kelly), and Scott Clamp (Linda). Grandma June also blessed the lives of Ken (Teresa), Taffi (Duane), Tom (Lisa), Jeff (Lori), Chris (Jami), Ray, Natalie (Chris) Jamie (Clae), Jeremy (Jessica), Kaspen, Riley, and Daniel (Lexi). Her family extended to 17 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
The family is appreciative of Dr. Lloyd and Mysty, Mom’s therapist who helped us keep her with us at home, but mostly for the love of our Dad who guarded over her rarely leaving her side in the last years of her life. We know we have been extremely blessed.
