Ethel 'June' Gronik

Ethel June Gronik, known her entire life as June, passed away peacefully at 6:00 Wednesday morning at Meadowbrook Health Center at the age of 98. 

June prided herself in being a homemaker, wife and mother.  As a young adult she loved to sing and once sang the Star-Spangled Banner for a Green Bay Packer football game.  Her home was often filled with the sound of musical comedies playing on her stereo.  She was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed making her own clothing. She was a life member of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.  June loved talking, cooking, reading and taking walks, in that order. In her later life she became very focused on politics and spent hours watching the news and hoping that she lived long enough to see the most recent former United States president go to jail.

June was born on June 20, 1924, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Milton and Ida Gorodetsky, immigrants from Ukraine-Russia.  She was predeceased by her older brother, Fred (Rita). Her family moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin when she was 16 years old.  In 1947 she married Jerome “Jerry” Wachtel and they had one son.

Jerry passed away in 1984 and June moved to Champaign the following year.  June is survived by her son Ira (Lynn); grandchildren Shira (Dan), Jonathan (Jackie); great grandchildren Jacob, Leo and Aaron.

In 1987 she married Herb Gronik of Milwaukee. Herb passed away in 2013.  June is also survived by her daughters, through Herb, Nancy (Jim) and Judy; grandchildren Becca (Mark), Ben (Miranda), Daniel (Julie) and Debbie; great grandchildren Tuolu, Inyo, Sarah, Ellis, Alden, William and Leo.

A small graveside service will be held Friday at the Elmwood Cemetery, 1413 169th Street, Hammond, IN, where June will be buried next to Jerry. The service will be officiated by Rabbi Gidon Isaacs, of Temple Beth El in Munster, IN, where June was a member from 1960 until 1985.  She was a member of Sinai Temple in Champaign.

Owens Funeral home is handling the arrangements.

Contributions in June’s memory can be made to Sinai Temple, Champaign or the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation.

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