My Book Ⅰ
Written by Hiroyuki Ikeda
［ No. 21 ］ 2 American Ladies 6.18, 2013
After a long period of declining health, news ( e-mail) has come about the passing of June Lamb at her home in Asheville on June 7, 2013 and the sender let me know that a graveside service will be held this coming Sunday, June 16, 2013 at the Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina at 3:00 PM.
June Lamb, farmer member of Japan Mission from 1955〜1967, served as a member of Yodogawa Christian Hospital ( YCH ) staff. June began in the Department of Medical Social Work at YCH and was recognized for her fine contribution in this field. She was given a high honor by the City of Osaka before she left Japan. At first, June came to Japan as a nurse of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission ( ABCC ) of Hiroshima in 1948. She had expertise as an x-ray technician and during her early years at YCH she also taught some of the YCH staff in that field. June and my mother Tatsuko were good friends so her boys were loved by June and she did many nice things for us.
Also I cannot forget one more lady who came to Japan from New England, America in 1945. Her name is Janet Ward and she died in 1999 in Kobe. She was a nice English teacher at places such as Konan Women’s University and also she loved us and she was like our second mother to us.
While Janet had come to Japan as a teacher of children on a U.S. military base after World Wart 2, my mother Tatsuko met her as her Japanese teacher. After knowing each other for a while, Janet liked Japan so much that she quit her job teaching in the United States Armed Forces and she decided to become teacher at Japanese schools for Japanese children. She began to start to live together with us as a member of our family, and she was a tremendous help to our family too. She lived in Kansai, and taught at the university, meanwhile she became friends with June through her hospital work. Both ladies worked hard for Japanese on the road and they got along like sisters. Finally Janet died at the age of 81 in Kobe in 1999, and June died at the age of 85 in Asheville. They both spent their lifetime single and devoted lots of work to Japan and for us. I pay my great respects to these dear two ladies and wonder whether I will be able to see them again someday, somewhere.
In 2006, I met June in Asheville at her retirement house and we had a nice time. Many good memories remind my heart of June and Janet.
