Ruth June Scroggins
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June Scroggins, a devoted wife and mother, went to be with her Heavenly Father on December 31, 2020. She was 94 years old.
Ruth June Green was born June 19, 1926 in Doxey, Beckham County, Oklahoma to Rufus Henry (Ruf) Green and Della Smith Green. She was the fourteenth of fifteen children.
June grew up in a farming family, and she related many stories of proudly working in the fields alongside her father, since she preferred that work to helping around the house. Her dad purchased a piano for his musical family, and June, mentored by her sisters, learned to play at an early age. Throughout her life, she shared her love of music both at home and in church. She possessed an amazing soprano voice and a keen ear, singing and harmonizing into the last few days of her life.
June attended Cameron College in Lawton, Oklahoma, where she earned an Associate Degree in music and met her future husband, Eddie Scroggins. As the church pianist, she teamed with Eddie in pastorates at churches in Oklahoma and Cortez, Colorado, and ultimately moved to Grand Junction in 1955 to begin their work at Trinity Baptist Church. After a long and loving life together, Eddie and June celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary before his death in 2010.
In addition to being the church pianist, June raised a large family, and to help make ends meet, was employed at the Woolworth's Department Store, the Grand Valley Baptist Association, and School District #51. Throughout her life, June's intellect, diverse interests, boundless energy, and curiosity were never satiated. Once her family was fairly grown, she returned to college, graduating with a B.A. degree at CMU (then Mesa State College) at 50 years of age, and at 62, she received a Master's Degree in career guidance and counseling from Adams State University in Alamosa. She continued her formal studies into her 70s at Golden Gate Theological Seminary.
Eddie and June had seven children: Joy Walker (Leroy), Delta; Sterling (Paula), Washington, D.C.; Stephen (Ronda), Palisade; John Stanley (deceased); Gloria Trujillo (Mike), Espanola, NM; Dwayne (deceased); and Dennis (Chary), Cedaredge; as well as 16 grandchildren, 21 great, and 5 great-great grandchildren. A family service will be held at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary with Rev. Dennis Scroggins officiating at 1:00 P.M., and internment will follow at the Orchard Mesa Cemetery. There will be a celebration of her life in June 2021, and an invitation will be forthcoming and extended to all who wish to attend.
The family would like to express its appreciation for the loving assistance she received from church members too numerous to name, as well as to the friendly and dedicated staff at Willow Tree Care Center in Delta. They were a true blessing to Mom and our family.