June Ko-Dial's Obituary
June started her life journey after her birth in Medford Oregon. You could say she was a daughter of Oregon, because her maiden name was Gervais and her great, great grandfather settled in early Oregon and the town of Gervais was named after him. His image is included in a famous painting in the state capital.
She lost her mother when she was seven years old which resulted in her embarking on many life adventures in southern Oregon, northern California, southern California and ultimately the San Francisco Bay area where she put down her roots in Oakland.
She married Kenneth Ko and gave birth to Brandon and Tyler. She was always committed to the health and welfare of all children and channeled that energy into her volunteerism. She initially ran a child day care and when Brandon started in Montclair Elementary school, she focused her energies on the schools, ultimately becoming the PTA president and a driving force behind their fundraising activities.
As Brandon grew older, she expanded her volunteer energies to his Cub Scout troop and was ultimately the Pack Leader for the entire troop. She had a love of the outdoors and participated in all the camping activities with the troop.
She later married Barry Dial and became the stepmother to Stephen and Kristen. Her boundless energy was more than enough to handle her expanded family and all the new volunteer activities. Together with Barry, she led Kristen’s Brownie and Girl Scout groups and ultimately helped Barry co-coach her Montclair soccer team. She also became the PFSC president at Montera Middle School and Skyline High School while also finding time to run the Montera Magazine drive and volunteer in the office from time to time.
When her youngest son, Tyler, was diagnosed with an overlapping autoimmune disease at 3 years old, she found more energy to take care of Tyler and be a vocal advocate for his care. Over the course of Tyler’s 15-year life, she was a constant beacon of light and hope through all of his innumerable doctor and specialist visits, lab appointments and hospitalizations. She strived to make Tyer’s life as comfortable and rich in life experiences as possible. These included frequent camping trips around California and a cross-country drive to New Hampshire (making sure we stopped for all the roadside attractions). There were also a couple of road trips to the Southwest, Texas and Las Vegas to keep it interesting. Tyler passed away 18 years ago and watched over her from heaven.
Barry and June also hosted foreign exchange students from Europe, Tunisia, Taiwan and Japan to broaden their world view and give them an appreciation of other cultures. She stayed in contact with many of the foreign exchange students through social media and even took a trip to Tunisia to visit her “Tunisian son” and his family.
Despite all the above activities, June also found the energy to get involved in the local school board and city politics. She was a committed supporter of Jean Quan when she was on the Oakland school board, city council member and later mayor of Oakland. She was a frequent participant in various protests and activities related to education and other city issues.
In 1999, June was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which gradually stole her mobility. Initially, it did not slow down her involvement in all the activities that are chronicled above. She still found the energy and determination to continue her activities and life adventures while her MS forced her to rely on a cane, a walker and ultimately a wheelchair to get around. She never let her disabilities slow her down or deaden her positive spirit, smile and zest for life. Eventually, the progression of her MS left her confined to her bed, yet she was still positive and active in life. Even though she lost the use of her dominant right hand, she wrote and illustrated a series of children’s books with her left hand that became the King Peanut series of adventures with all our animals. These were always dedicated to her grandchildren.
June was always committed to our blended family of Brandon, Tyler, Kristen and Stephen. She loved all five of her grandchildren, Jack, Isabel, Jayden, Emerie and Ethan. June was looking forward to meeting her granddaughter who will be born in April. She also shared her grandmotherly love with two “adopted” grandchildren in Tunisia and her caregiver Ima’s two daughters. She also treasured all the time she spent visiting family in Oregon, spending time with her sisters Joan, Jean and Jane, and her brothers, John and Frank. She will be met in heaven by Tyler and her two siblings, John and Jean who predeceased June.
June will always be loved and remembered for her infectious smile and joy for life. She would brighten everyone’s day and was genuinely interested in their well-being. June will be missed by all the people she encountered in her life journey, but the memories she made will be in their hearts forever.
June loved animals and advocated fiercely for multiple sclerosis awareness, and we ask that any gifts be made in her honor to:
The Oakland ASPCA (https://eastbayspca.org/how-to-help/ways-to-give/make-a-tribute-gift)
The National MS Society (https://secure.nationalmssociety.org/site/Donation2?df_id=67667&67667.donation=form1&s_src=dmp-fy25-HOM-don-referral&s_subsrc=nmss-FY25-February-1-Million-Goal-EM-HPBan&utm_source=nmss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=dmp-fy25-HOM-don&utm_content=FY25-February-1-Million-Goal-EM-HPBan)
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