June Eve Pittman's Obituary
June Eve Pittman, nee Polivka, 100, was born in Friendship, Wisconsin, on April 1, 1925. She went to high school in Cicero, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, along with her younger brother and sister. Far fewer Americans, especially women, went to college in the 1940's than today, and despite her remarkable intelligence and high grades, the U.S. had entered World War II and she wanted to support the war effort. Instead of entering college, she entered the work force, first acting as a quality control inspector at a munitions factory and then administrative work at the same factory. She began eating lunch with three black women and singing during the lunch break. Later on, the four of them performed at nightclubs around Chicago. Other nights she went to the opera or went to see Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett perform, riding the Chicago Elevated Train home at the end of the evening. After the war she moved with her family to Baltimore, Maryland, where her father became superintendent of the Bethlehem Steel plant. In Baltimore she met her future husband, Donald Pittman, who was working on construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. A few years later, after their marriage and now with a son, they moved to Newberry, Florida, where her father had recently purchased a farm. Before this move she'd never even visited the south, but Newberry became her home for the rest of her life.
In the 1960's, she finally convinced her husband that the household, now with four children, needed more income. She went to the Gainesville motel, the University Inn, owned by Nate and Jean Pozin, to apply for a bookkeeper job. During the interview she confessed that she'd forgotten a lot from her high school bookkeeping class, and Mrs. Pozin told her, "it'll come back to you." In the same moment she got the job, and found her lifetime best friend. She and Mrs. Pozin were never out of contact from that day forward.
The tragedy of her life occurred during 1992, when Donald Pittman died at only 65 years of age. After 40 years of marriage, they'd recently retired and planned to spend years traveling together, but this was now impossible. She continued living on the farm, always supported by her daughters and sons-in-law. She loved to mow the grass on her riding lawn mower, and was a familiar sight to neighbors and delivery drivers as she kept the grounds well-tended. She continued to mow until age 99, when her declining eye sight made it impossible to continue. She volunteered at the Sea Turtle Conservancy for many years, first at data entry and then assisting membership with renewals and mailings.
She was a happy person. She liked being outside in the garden, taking care of farm animals, reading, quilting, and writing letters. She never lost her love of dancing, and learned to do the “Moonwalk” in her 80’s and the “Macarena” at age 95. She loved information technology because it let her send e-mail messages. As she got older, she could type faster than write by hand, and she sent and received many messages every day. She liked staying home, but she had traveled to Alaska and much of the United States. She also visited Korea, and she was so well received that she said, "I think I have as many friends in Korea now, as I have in the United States." She loved her family, and was loved by them. She never failed to send cards and gifts to every family event, every birthday party, Christmas and Hanukkah and Easter, and she always sent thank you cards for every gift or card she received.
June Eve Pittman died peacefully on May 6, 2025, after a brief illness. She will be missed by everyone who knew her. She is survived by her son, William (Miharu) Pittman, her daughters, Patricia (Jeffrey) McCloskey, and Judith (Robert) Goring. Three granddaughters; Rachel Pittman, Sarah Pittman, and Mallory (Brad) Davis and three great-grandchildren; Eliana Pittman, Joslyn Davis and John Robert Davis.
Services will be held on Monday, May 12, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. with visitation beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home- Westarea Chapel 823 NW 143rd Street, Newberry, Florida 32669
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