In Memoriam: June Adams Johnson

In Memoriam:  June Adams Johnson

by Shuneet Thomson, Mediator

Our friend and colleague June Adams Johnson passed away on April 18, 2018 in her home in Groton, MA, surrounded by family and accompanied by the music of the Threshold Singers of Indian Hill Music. She was a wonderful person and a valued member of our Mediators Education and Support Group, which meets monthly in Interpeople’s offices in Littleton, MA. Her passing was sudden and we still feel shocked and bereft.

June was born June Louise Adams in Portland, Maine, on June 1, 1939. She leaves behind her devoted (second) husband, Steve Lieman, four adult children, five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

June graduated high school as valedictorian, then went on to earn a BS at the University of Maine, a Master's in Counseling at Boston University, and a JD in 1985 at Northeastern Law School.

June started practicing mediation alongside her legal practice in 1988. Mediation became the majority of her practice starting about 10 years later. She did a lot of pro-bono work for many different nonprofits, including the Nashua River Watershed Association and Indian Hill Music (where she learned to play the harp in her sixties). June also served for 34 years as Trustee of Groton Conservation Trust and served on the Groton Land Foundation.

As part of her devotion to peace and non-violence, June facilitated Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops at Shirley Medium Prison for 14 years. She spent 32 evenings per year doing AVP group sessions for 8 of those 14 years (“that's a lot of days spent behind bars!” observes her husband). June served as facilitator for C4RJ (Communities for Restorative Justice) over five years. June was a very active member of First Parish Church of Groton Unitarian Universalist.

More?  Little did we know:

• June created “Neighbor to Neighbor” dialogue to help encourage Groton citizens to get to know and appreciate their fellow citizens better.
• She was the co-founder of “Carrying On,” a support group for those who have lost a loved one through suicide.
• June inspired the start of “Friends of the Tree Warden” non-profit organization.
• June also created “Sharing the Journey,” an 8-week workshop to strengthen the relationships of committed couples, which is something she told us about in our group meetings.

In our group of mediators June’s contribution always revealed her kindness, generosity of spirit, intelligence, wisdom and professional integrity. Her voice and her presence in our meetings will be acutely missed. May she rest in peace.

• Memorial Service.  Saturday, June 2nd, 2 PM.  First Parish Church of Groton. Intersection of Routes 119 and 40. Reception to follow.

• Memorial Concert.  Emma's Revolution Concert in Memory of June to Benefit Cancer Research. Friday, June 1st, 7:30 PM. First Parish Church of Groton.