June Y. Braden
Obituary's Biography:
June Y. Braden, 83, passed away on April 18, 2025 from complications of her strokes.
June was born on April 2, 1942, in Oglesby, OK to William Junior Yates and Louise Marie Benefiel Yates. June was a member of the Cherokee Nation and grew up in Oklahoma and southern Kansas with her parents, brothers and large extended family.
Upon graduating from High School in Bartlesville, OK in 1960, June set her sights on higher education and attended Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA from 1960-1962. After taking a two year break from school to work, June was able to finance the rest of her college studies on her own and proudly graduated from California State University Los Angeles in 1966 with her BA in Education and a California Teaching Credential in Primary Education. June was the first person to graduate from college in her family.
After graduation June moved to Monterey, CA. and taught Special Education at Ft. Ord and the Fourth Grade in Marina, CA.; she also taught Fourth Grade in the Chico and Tiberon School Districts in California, and in the Wilmette School District in Illinois. June also taught Continuing Education courses for teachers in the use of computers in the classroom at Cal State University in Riverside, CA.
June married U.S. Army First Lieutenant William L. Braden on March 29, 1969, in Monterey, CA. Bill and June spent the first few years of their marriage finding adventure on nature trails throughout California, enjoying long weekends camping and hiking. June and Bill welcomed their sons Christopher Braden in 1975 and Gregory Braden in 1978. The Braden house quickly became the place where Christopher and Gregory’s friends would all gather; June and Bill were affectionately known as “Mama B” and “PapaB”.
Throughout their marriage, June and Bill enjoyed hiking, camping and backpacking in the mountains of California, Oregon, Washington and Utah; they traveled by car and camped in a variety of recreational vehicles in all 48 contiguous states and throughout southern Canada.
June suffered a severely disabling stroke in 1999 followed by another stroke in 2020, however she wouldn’t let her health challenges stop her from spending time in the great outdoors with Bill. June became a passionate supporter of outdoor education for young people and an advocate for accessibility for all at her local forest preserves and parks.
June is survived by her husband of 56 years, William Braden; her sons, Christopher (Jill) Braden of Gurnee, Illinois, and Gregory (Wayne) Braden of Chicago, Illinois; her grandchildren, Cooper Braden of Gurnee, Illinois, and Dakota Elizabeth Braden of Gurnee, Illinois; and brother, Gary (Deb) Yates of Ponca City, Oklahoma with whom she shared a special bond.
June was preceded in death by her parents and by her brothers, Ernie Yates of Bartlesville, Oklahoma and William “Butch” Yates of Ponca City, Oklahoma.
In lieu of flowers, we invite you to honor June Braden’s love for nature, and our environment by donating in her name to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves. June held a special bond with the beauty of the outdoors, particularly during her “Walk’ n Rolls” at Rollins Savanna Preserve near her home with Bill. June’s family plans to continue to work with the Foundation and the Lake County Forest Preserves District to expand access to our preserves for the disabled, and to continue to educate young people throughout Lake County about the benefits and serenity of those preserves. Gifts can be made online at LCFPD.org/Tribute or by calling 847-968-3110.
All arrangements were entrusted to Strang Funeral Chapel, 410 E Belvidere Road, Grayslake, IL 60030. For more information, please call (847)223-8122 or visit www.StrangFuneral.org.