June Kliesen Obituary
June R. (Malenchini) Kliesen died early Thursday morning, October 12th, 2017 at the age of 76 in Los Alamos, New Mexico, from Alzheimers. She was an 'Easterner', born and raised in Melrose, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Daughter of Aristide Pietro Malenchini and Mary Irene Robinson, she had three amazing sisters, Chip, Lorraine and Rita and one brother, Kenny. She had an adventurous spirit and applied to schools 'out West' and did so alphabetically. Adams State College was the first to send her an acceptance letter and she responded that day.
She received a letter from Arizona State a few days later, but her choice had been made and it led her down a very different road. While at Adams State studying for a degree in Biology, she met Gary Kliesen, a rambunctious cowboy and trouble maker, whom she would marry in 1965 and spend the next 52 years with. June and Gary lived in Jackson, Wyoming when their twins, Brenda and Brian, were born. They later moved back to Dodge where their son, Joel, was born a few years later. June was working as a waitress at the Holiday Restaurant when she was encouraged to apply for a job teaching biology at the Community College.
She quickly took a class at Saint Mary's to obtain a teaching certificate and was hired on as a part time Biology Instructor where she would teach for the next 32 years. It was at Dodge City Community College that she discovered a love for teaching and became a part of that infamous mob known as the Science and Math Department. While there she completed a Masters in Biology at Fort Hays State University. Her best friends and second family were her fellow teachers at the college whom she would keep in touch with long after her retirement.
At DCCC she was involved in many projects, volunteering for sports programs, fund raisers, and social events, becoming a well-known and much respected teacher and mentor. Many of her caregivers later in life were former students who had become nurses or worked in health care. In 2014 she was honored by DCCC with the Outstanding Volunteer Service Award. After retirement, June moved out near Coldwater, KS to a Cattle Ranch purchased by Gary. She will be remembered by the locals in Comanche County for her ability to keep Gary alive at the ranch and occasionally talk him out of a bad idea or to call for either the fire department or ambulance.
She loved to laugh, dance, ski, hike, travel, garden, visit with her sisters, and was active in many organizations or projects; American Association of University Women, Kansas Native Plants Society, and as a weather watcher to name but a few. She was funny and generous and creative. June was a board member of the Kiowa County Hospital and worked with 2 university projects, collecting moths and monitoring a bat colony. She enjoyed showing off the ranch to visitors and would take them camping near Mule Creek or for long hikes around the property to show them the flora and fauna.
June was a life-long learner. She traveled to Bermuda, Belize and Alaska to take extension classes after she retired. Intellectual curiosity was important to her and she lived it. She is preceded in death by her husband Gary, her brother Ken Malenchini and her dog Rusty. She is survived by her two sons, Brian and Joel; daughter Brenda; daughter in law DJ; grandchildren Rori and Luke; sisters Chip Denley, Lorraine Goodhue and Rita Havener; numerous nieces and nephews, cousins, extended family and many, many friends.
As a micro-biologist, she wanted her brain donated to science to perhaps help researchers find a cure to any number of brain diseases including her affliction, Lewy Body Dementia. Her brain is now at the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, near her home town of Boston. A combined memorial gathering and barbeque for Gary and June will be held 11 November, 2017 at Dodge City Community College starting at 2pm. All are invited to attend to share memories, photos and stories. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association (http://act.alz.org) or any number of science programs that are researching brain injury or diseases. act.alz.org.
Donate to charity in honor of June. (https://www.legacy.com).
