June Ragsdale

A celebration of life service for Helen June Harrison Ragsdale, 82 of Alba is scheduled for 10 AM Saturday, February 10, 2024 at Amazing Grace Fellowship Church in Alba Texas. Services will be officiated by her grandson, Pastor Jacob Chaffin of Lindale, under the direction of her church and family.

“June” Ragsdale passed away January 23, 2024 in Tyler. She was born January 6, 1942 in the area of Harmony near Winnsboro, to Ferrell Eugene Harrison and Ruby Ella Underwood Harrison.
June as she was known by her friends had two sisters, Norma Jean Jackson and Mary Harrison. She was taught from an early age to live a life of service as she became the church pianist at Harmony Assembly of God, at the age of 12 years old. She worked in the field with her parents harvesting crops to provide for their family. She picked strawberries before school for a penny a cup! Later, her parents bought a dairy farm and she began working alongside her parents to make the dairy successful.
June graduated from Winnsboro High School in 1960. She attended Southwestern Assembly of God College for one year and then returned to her parents home. Soon she met Arlon Ragsdale, the love of her life and she married him on February 8, 1963. June and Arlon had three children, Terri Yvonne Ragsdale Chaffin, Arlon Hugh Ragsdale Junior, and Junella Kaye Ragsdale Brown. June worked in her home as well as serving alongside Arlon at churches in the north Texas area. During this time she cleaned others houses, took in sewing projects and baby sat to help provide for her family. She continued to serve in the church as pianist, Sunday school teacher, and planning of church events.

After Terri and Hugh began college, she enrolled herself in college classes while working a full-time job. In 1991 she completed her degree in business at Southwestern Assemblies of God College. June then became a worker for child protective services in the Greenville Texas area. She quickly became an advocate and intervened for children in Hunt county for many years. After serving these children, and working with parents in the area, she moved into the position of Foster homes, developer and adoption for Hunt and Rockwall Counties. Her passion of service continued as she worked to develop successful homes for the children she had rescued in her prior years as a CPS worker.

After retiring from the state of Texas, she continue to work as a foster home developer on a contract basis. During this time, she flourished in seeing many families work through the process of becoming a foster home and seeing children being placed in homes where they would find love and security.
June was able to quickly take on the title of Gigi has she became a grandmother to Jacob in 1988, Ethen in 1989, Jaclyn in 1990, Nicholai, in 1991 Cyruss in 1992 Sean in 1993 and Koerth in 2001. She embraced her bonus grandchildren Stephanie and Jennifer Brown as they became part of her family
However, her greatest joy came when she became a great grandmother to 11 great grandchildren. Laney, Harper Kate, Adalie, Madelyn and Jaxon, Mia, Aniyah, Madison, Waylon, Jackson, and Everly June.
She enjoyed traveling with her husband, Arlon, and her sister, Mary Harrison. She embraced being retired, and serving as a great grandmother, but still looked for places to provide service to other organizations. She played piano for Arbala Methodist Church, and the King James Only Church of Alba, during this time. She met many friends that she loved and enjoyed serving. She was a member of First Assembly of God in Quitman, Texas, but at the end of her life was attending Cottonwood Assembly of God in Alba, Texas. She enjoyed cooking for her family, keeping house, growing flowers, and cleaning houses for several people in the area. The sudden death of her son, Hugh, at age 51 impacted her life greatly. She longed for the day that she would be able to see him again in heaven. Survivors of June are her husband Arlon of 60 years, two daughters: Terri Chaffin, and husband, Jackie of Alba, Texas, Junella Brown, and her husband, Randy Farmersville, Texas, daughter-in-law, Sherry Ragsdale, Hughes Springs, Texas, and her sister, and best friend, Mary Harrison of Longview. Also her nine grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren adored her along with many friends and relatives.

June loved serving in the church and seeing it grow with people finding Jesus and following in faith. In lieu of flowers, in Memoriam, June and her family ask that donations of memorials be sent to Cottonwood Assembly of God Church Building Fund in Alba Texas. P.O. Box 38, Golden Texas 75044.