June M. Fahey

June M. Fahey, a longtime resident of Wakefield and recent resident of Brightview Senior Living Wakefield, passed away on May 23, 2025. She is survived by eight children, John and wife Elise of Medford, James of Stoneham, Paul and wife Kathleen of Campbell, CA, Robert and wife Juli of Wakefield, David and wife Alice of Wilmington, Janet Rice and husband Gregg of Groveland, Michael and wife Marguerite of Wakefield, and Richard and wife Kathleen of Belmont. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren (with a sixteenth on the way). Ken, her husband of 63 years, passed away in 2015.

June grew up in Malden, MA during the Great Depression, but her lasting childhood memories were of visiting relatives each summer on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, where her parents were from. On at least one year June spent the entire summer in Cape Breton.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor when June was a freshman in high school. Students were being graduated early to join the work force depleted by men fighting overseas. Thus, June graduated high school at age 16 and was quickly hired by The United Fruit Company in Boston. She started in the secretarial pool, later rising to private secretary for one of the managers.

Shortly after starting work June met Ken Fahey, an accountant with Peat Marwick Mitchell and 10 years her senior, who regularly audited the books at United Fruit. Seven years later they were married. For the remainder of their lives June would tell one and all that it took her seven years to get Ken to ask her out. Ken, typically a quiet person, would occasionally point out that she was 16 when they met and he was waiting for her to grow up.

June and Ken bought a house in Wakefield when they first got married, and where they lived throughout their married life. June continued to live in the house until last year when she moved to Brightview.

Over the course of 15 years June and Ken had eight children. While raising the children was their primary focus, they carved out time for other pursuits. For many years they were avid square dancers and would travel throughout New England to attend dances. After several of the children were grown they purchased a condo in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In the summer they would be up there playing golf, and in the winter cross country skiing.

In retirement years they did a fair amount of travel seeing parts of the world, and for 30 plus years would spend several months of the winter in Venice, Florida. June continued to go to Venice each winter after Ken passed away. A constant throughout all was the family and family life.

June was not going to be left behind when computers took off. She learned to use a computer, and later a smart phone, iPad and Kindle. She regularly emailed, texted and posted to Facebook. She purchased a program and would make her own greeting cards to send to family and friends.

June was also an avid puzzle player and daily did crossword puzzles, Jumbles and all other manner of word games. She played dozens of simultaneous Words With Friends games online with friends and acquaintances from far and wide.

June was an outgoing person and loved to socialize. For many years she hosted gatherings in her home every Friday morning. This weekly ritual was known to all as Friday at Faheys. The friends would share coffee and pastries, and occasional glasses of Irish coffee, and chat away for a couple of hours. June maintained hosting this up until she sold her house last summer.

Ken passed away one month after his 96th birthday. June, ever the competitor, made it a life goal to beat him. She passed away 2 months shy of her 97th birthday. We’re sure that when Ken greets June in heaven he will be wearing a bemused smile.

Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Thursday, May 29 from 4-7pm. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St., Wakefield on Friday, May 30 at 10am. Interment, Forest Glade Cemetery, Wakefield.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wakefield Food Pantry, PO Box 1624, Wakefield, MA 01880 or to Pine Street Inn, 444 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118.

(Due to allergies, the family kindly requests no lilies.)