June S. Ponder, 88, of Ruston, LA, passed away on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. June’s love of her family and her kindness towards others was truly remarkable. Her unwavering spirit of giving will continue to live in us all.
June was preceded in death by her husband Homer G. Ponder, parents Luther and Alice South, brother Gerald South, and sisters Joan S. Frye and Kay S. Ward.
She is survived by her four sons, Paul and wife, Emily, of Plano, TX; John and wife, Terrie, of Carrollton, GA; Nathan and wife Vilma of Ruston, LA; and Samuel and Emalee of Ruston, LA; eight grandsons, Daniel, Nicholas, Preston, William, Dylan, and Hayden Ponder, Zachary Wright, and Jaccob Mobbs; one granddaughter, Claire Ponder, and one foster granddaughter Ja’Nyah Smith; and two great granddaughters, Lillian June and Ivy Noelle.
She is also survived by brother, Don South, and sisters Judy Denham and Faye Ellis.
June was born in the Tanner Williams community near Mobile, AL on June 13, 1936. She graduated from Semmes High School in Mobile and attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where she met and married Homer Ponder in 1958. She put her schooling on pause to raise four boys, and then resumed her formal education at Louisiana Tech University where she earned an undergraduate degree in Library Science and a master’s degree in History. After completing her degrees, June worked in the Lincoln Parish School system for several years and later at the Louisiana Tech University library for fifteen years. June was an avid reader and thoroughly enjoyed her time as one of the church librarians at First Baptist Church in Ruston, Louisiana for close to five decades.
A Graveside Service will be held at Kilpatrick’s Memorial Gardens in Ruston, LA, on Saturday, October 26th at 10:00 a.m. under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Homes of Ruston. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. at the cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Global Hunger Relief through First Baptist Church of Ruston, to Christian Community Action of Ruston, or to a charity of your choice.
The Ponder family is especially grateful to Dr. Furqan Akhtar and the staff of the Christus Highland Medical Cancer Center in Shreveport, LA; Bridgett Kleman with Passages Hospice in West Monroe, LA; and Preston Ponder and Brielle Bordelon and Nathan and Vilma Ponder for their dedicated and compassionate care.
Online condolences may be sent tot he family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com
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