June R. Billesbach

June (Missing) Billesbach, 94, of Kearney formerly of Hastings.

God gained another angel on July 15, 2024, when June went to be with Him. Funeral services will be on 11:00 AM Thursday, July 18, 2024, at The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd in Hastings. Visitation will be 1 hour prior to service. Burial at Arapahoe Cemetery in Arapahoe, NE will be at 2:30 PM. 

Memorials can be sent to the family for later designation. Online condolences can be sent to www.apfelfuneralhome.com. Apfel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. 

She was born March 15, 1930, in Oxford, NE to August and Sophia (Daiss) Missing. She was baptized in April 1930 and confirmed in 1945 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Arapahoe. Her faith in the Lord has always been an important part of her life.

June grew up and spent most of her life in Arapahoe. Her early childhood was on a farm 3 miles NW of town and she attended the country “Little Red Schoolhouse” before her family moved into Arapahoe. She attended Arapahoe Public Schools and enjoyed drama classes and events. During high school she worked at Morris Drug Store. She graduated in 1948 and was honored to be the May Fete Queen her Senior year. It was at the May fete that her future husband, Neal Billesbach, would first set his eyes on her. After graduation she was the stenographer for Proud & Proud Law Office in Arapahoe and much later worked part-time at the Arapahoe Country Club.

On September 17, 1950, she was united in marriage to Neal Lynn Billesbach at Trinity Lutheran Church. To this union three children were born; Craig Lee, Lori Lynn and Lisa Dawn.

June and Neal were an active part of the community until they moved to Hastings in 1997. She was a Girl Scout and 4-H leader, Secretary/Treasurer of the Arapahoe Chamber of Commerce, secretary for the Furnas-Gosper Counties Historical Society. She volunteered for Prairie Pioneer Days, made bank floats, and participated in three melodramas. She cared for her Aunt Ella Missing and guided her to request the build of a community center in her name with the funds left to the city (now the Missing Community Center).

She was a founding member of Peace Lutheran Church (now the library) until it’s closure in 1984. At that time, she joined St. John’s Lutheran Church in Eustis until their move to Hastings and joined the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. In 2014, she moved to Prairie View Gardens in Kearney to be near her daughter, Lori and family. 

June had many interests throughout her life and retirement; cooking, reading, knitting, crocheting, crafts, traveling to 49 states, Civil War history, and Bingo. She especially enjoyed her 1930’s Pen Pal Club and attended yearly reunions in various states with her daughter Lori. She was still flying to Arizona every Christmas to be with her daughter Lisa and family. 

She was a wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and loved spending time with her family. Her family will remember how she always had fun things for everyone to do during the holidays, her never-ending patience and ability to listen and love. She was a dear friend to many and often put everyone else above her own needs. She was the best mother anyone could ever hope to have and she will be dearly missed.

She is survived by son, Craig (Annie) of Denton, NE; daughter, Lisa (Greg) Hauser of Peoria, AZ; son-in-law, Richard Long of Kearney, NE; grandchildren: Ryan (Amy), Adam, and Aaron (Robyn) Long, Cory Stark and Lindsi (John) Harris, and Cari (Jerry) Dozler and Cassi (Sean) Minzel; and 14 great-grandchildren.

June was predeceased by her husband, Neal; daughter, Lori Long; special companion, Lorin Elliot; and her parents.