Mrs. June Schwalben, age 94, of Smyrna, TN passed away Monday, June 19, 2017. She was born in Endicot, NY to the late Harold and Flossie Ely Snyder. Mrs. Schwalben worked as a secretary and was of the Lutheran faith.

Mrs. Schwalben is survived by her son, Ted Tosh of Camden, SC; daughter, Lisa Burke and her husband T.J. of Smyrna; four grandchildren, Kyle Tosh, Wade Tosh, Jackson Burke, and Chase Burke; and two great-grandchildren, Rocky and Johanna.

The family has opted to keep the services private.

The following is the eulogy as written and read by Mrs. Schwalben's son at her memorial service:

Showbiz!

My mother was born in update New York in 1923 without a middle name. Her mother wanted to name her June Sunshine, her father wanted to name her June Marie. They couldn't compromise so she didn't have a middle name but she had 3 grandfathers. They lived in an $8 a month clapboard house without indoor plumbing but her mother, Flossie, strived for bother her and her sister to succeed in life.

My mother learned about showbiz from her mother and spent her life around it. June and her sister performed in a dance duet until they were teenagers and she sang for the IBM orchestra after her graduation from high school. She also learned to fly as her mother always told her to face her fears. Her mother, Flossie, played piano in vaudeville from the time she was 13 was just 21. In 1947, Mom joined her in NYC and worked in the garment industry as a model and later office secretary until her retirement in 1988. She always enjoyed showing her photos from Vanity Fair and telling tales of her traveling to fashion shows on railroad trains and the hustle and bustle of Broadway.

I wish to read you an excerpt from Cousin Eileen Bouton's letter of November 1, 1990 to Mom. "I'm sorry I didn't get acquainted with your mom (Flossie). But listening to what you say about her makes me feel as though I'm getting to know her. I'm putting a composite together and she sounds like a person who read a great deal and had a lot of curiosity for solving problems by informing herself. She sounds like a sensitive, deep person by nature. I remember her as being a strikingly beautiful (like you a lot) person, very New York in make up and clothes of that era. A very controlled and disciplined person in her ways y I only saw her a couple of times."

Mom grew up just like Flossie and when she retired after 40 years in New York City she joined my sister on her trip to Tennessee and lived here with them for over 30 years. Having been in the midst of big business in New York City she fit in well with all classes of people and always took the time to give a kind word. When asked at here retirement party to give some words of advice. She only had to thsi to say, "Keep on  keeping on." She was a born again Christian and believed in "let go and let God." She loved her children and her four grandsons without favoritism and always prayed every night for their well-being.

My sister and I have lived a privileged life. We were given by our Mother strength of character, by our ancestors, physical health, and by our upbringing, hope. We were always first in her heart, first in her actions and first in her life. She encourages us to make our own decisions and "live our lives" and learn from our experiences. She did this through example: she never thought or spoke down to anyone in any position. She was a lady first, she was the center of attention but she made you feel that you were. She brought comfort and food advice whenever we needed it. And she saved every spare penny to give us a chance to succeed. We succeeded thanks to her alone.

Politically, she was keen. Her upstate New York breeding and her teenage experiences during the depression molded her values and her mother inspired her to better things. As drum majorette of Vestal High School she flew a piper cub airplane when she was 18 and her mother became a General in the Civil Air Patrol during WWII. These were energetic women who weren't afraid to go to New York City alone and earn a good living and make a good life. Her mother was a piano teacher on Broadway and even tuned up Elvis Presley when he went on tour. My mother then a model for Vanity Fair modeled the crown that Napoleon gave Marie Louise before it was broken up for sale. I got to see her on TV once during a fashion show. She could sing like a star and was beautiful but she never missed an opportunity to help people less fortunate.

I remember vacations at the beach, Thanksgivings, Christmas', and the thousands of miles I traveled to be with her. She was one in a million. A born again Christian she believed without question, it saved her life. It allowed her to live twice as long as she might have and it allowed her to be with us and our children and her great-grandchildren.

She was the matriarch of our family. A life-long democrat who thanked God every day for every little pleasure in her life and prayed for her children, grandchildren, and friends. She requested her ashes be deposited in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Myrtle Beach, SC where she spent the best summers for many years. May she rest in peace. I will always be with you.

June Snyder Tosh Schwalben

She was a  saint.