June Haley (Pinkham) Fitch, 66, died at the Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 22, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer and went to be with Jesus. A luncheon in her honor will be held at 12:00 p.m. at First Christian Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Funeral services will begin at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, January 30, 2025, at First Christian Church. Burial will follow in Fairlawn Cemetery. Strode Funeral Home and Cremation is in charge of the arrangements.

June was born in Santa Barbara, California, and spent her childhood in Carpinteria, California, loving the beach and the farm life with her parents and siblings. This is where she first found her love of animals, which would turn out to be a lifelong love that she carried with her until her dying day. She actively participated in 4-H and FFA, where she showed sheep and crop judged. She would take her love of animals and go on to major in Agricultural Business in college at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, where she was on the livestock judging team.

June put her whole heart into everything she did, and her love story is a testament to that. While on the livestock judging team, she met the love of her life, her husband Jerry, and they were married shortly after her graduation. They celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary in 2024. After spending time at Colorado State University (CSU), the couple made their way to Stillwater. Jerry accepted a job as an Animal Science professor at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and he has served faithfully there for 37 years. Both June and Jerry came from farming and ranching backgrounds and knew they wanted to instill the values they held dear to their babies. Her son, Brian, has his own chicken business and is a Special Olympian. He shares June's love for knowing people and making them feel welcome. He has never met a stranger, much like his mom. Her daughter, Laurie, got her love for people from her momma, and she is working to become a mental health counselor and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in need. Laurie loved her momma very much and wishes that anyone reading this would remember her mom's love for people and that, in honor of June, you would choose to bless someone today just because you can.

June had what can only be described as a servant's heart, and her passions all began out of a desire to help and walk alongside her loved ones. A lifelong advocate for Payne County 4-H, June Fitch's passion for bettering the lives of young people began when her kids first started in Payne County 4-H, more than two decades ago. Not only did June make an immeasurable impact on the kids and families of the Payne County 4-H, but she equally loved her time serving Special Olympics in many ways-both at the local and regional level. Her past roles included Chairman of the Stillwater Polar Plunge and Stillwater Special Olympics Booster Club. She most recently served as Director of Cowboy Country Special Olympics for Oklahoma Special Olympics. If that wasn't enough to fill her days, she also loved serving as an Advisor for the Omega Sigma Chapter of the Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII) sorority at OSU. Next to her family, she enjoyed being surrounded by her close knit "Bunco Babes," her Bunco group of which she was a member for over 20 years. It was a rare occasion for June to miss her monthly Bunco gatherings, where she and her friends ate, talked, laughed, and occasionally played a round of Bunco!

June is survived by her husband of forty-four years, Jerry Fitch, their son Brian Fitch, and daughter Laurie Fitch. June is also survived by her mother, Gayle Pinkham, and siblings, Anne Smull and Jim Pinkham. She is preceded in death by her infant son, William (Will) Fitch, her father, Milton (Milt) Pinkham, her husband's father, William (Bill) Fitch, and her husband's mother, Frances Trout. In lieu of flowers, the family has designated the Payne County 4-H and Cowboy Country Special Olympics for memorial contributions to be used to support the programs June held close to her heart. Online contributions to the Payne County 4-H may be made at oklahoma4hfoundation.com/donate (please indicate your gift is to support Payne County 4-H youth programs). Online contributions to the Cowboy Country Special Olympics may be made at give.classy.org/sookcowboycountry .