June Adams Johnson
June Adams Johnson of Groton died peacefully at home surrounded by family on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. June was born on June 1, 1939 in Portland, ME, the daughter of Eleanor Martin Adams and Byron Royce Adams. June grew up in Ogunquit, ME and was Valedictorian of her Wells (Maine) High School class. She went on to attend the University of Maine at Orono earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and Nutrition. She graduated first in her class in the School of Agriculture and was selected for the University’s All Maine Women Honor Society. June later went on to earn a Master’s Degree and Certificate of Advance Graduate Studies in Counseling from Boston University, and a Juris Doctor Degree from Northeastern University’s School of Law.
June was the beloved wife of Steve Lieman for almost 38 years. June and Steve notably and joyously celebrated the 40th anniversary of their first date last November.
Besides her husband, June is survived by her two children: Scott Johnson and Jill Lavallee; her two step children: Laura Kachurick and Rachel Lieman and her husband Stephen Griffin; five grandchildren: Alicia Lavallee Dominguez and her husband Jessie Dominguez, Lucas Kachurick, Jeremy Kachurick, Madison Griffin, and Colin Griffin; and by her great granddaughter Kylie Sophia Dominguez.
June came to Groton in the early 1970s when she worked as a Guidance Counselor at the North Middlesex Regional High School. In the early 1980s June set off to law school and a new career in law and very soon gravitated towards the practice of mediation of legal disputes. She loved this work and pursued it vigorously for the next 33 years. She was still going strong and was vitally involved with her Common Ground Mediation practice just days before she passed.
June’s passionate and life-long interest in social justice was already visible in her Valedictory Address where she talked about respecting others by learning about their culture, their manners, and their language.
June, humbly and without fanfare, led a life of extraordinary and often visionary achievement and accomplishment which included serving 34 years on the Groton Conservation Trust including many years of service to the Groton Land Foundation, 14 years as an Alternatives to Violence facilitator at Shirley Medium Security Prison. With Steve, she developed a “Sharing the Journey” workshop to strengthen the relations between committed couples. She led the creation of Anchorage, in Beverly, a group home for teens who could not live at home. She co-founded the ‘Carrying On” support group for families who had lost loved ones to suicide. She was a steward and leader of First Parish Church for four decades, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds for the Old Groton Meeting House for replacing a failing foundation in 1986, for adding an elevator and sprinkler system and new East Wing in 2001, and for the preserving the structural integrity of the attic, bell tower and steeple in 2015.
Over the years, June offered pro bono legal services to many of local non-profits including Indian Hill Music, Groton Conservation Trust, and the Nashua River Watershed Association.
June had a great facility for leadership, for thinking ahead and planning, for decision making, and for creating strong community with all who worked on a project with her.
June loved being in the outdoors (hiking, canoeing, kayaking, biking, mountain climbing). She loved being a grandmother and doing special one-to-one things with each grandchild. She loved cooking for others, traveling to new places, and working behind the scenes to get things done without the need to take credit. She was brilliant at seeing potential in others and successfully encouraging many to reach for the higher good.
June’s motto for her life was the idea that the universe honors clear intention backed by absolute commitment. She lived this every day and she has left a lasting legacy for all of us.
A memorial service for June will be held Saturday, June 2 at 2 p.m. at First Parish Church of Groton with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity in June’s honor.