Beloved Mummy of Annabelle & Nicholas, and a lifelong lover of dogs, friends, fun, travel, music and fun.

We encourage you to share memories, photos, and stories.  

In lieu of flowers please donate to her chosen charity, Blue Cross for Pets.

JUNE:

Born in Chorley, Lancashire in 1941, June and her family – Cyril, Margaret and Roy – moved to Ewell, Surrey shortly after her birth. As a survivor of the Blitz, and one who well-remembered rationing, she went on to spend a happy childhood surrounded by family that included first cousins Angie and David.  At school she was strong in athletics, winning races at both 400m and 800m, and she also became school javelin champion.  Upon leaving school she entered the world of fashion, working her way up to a buyer’s position at Berketex.

In 1966, and still living at home, her boyfriend at the time, John Selby, was off on a trip and he asked a friend to look after her and take her out.  June met Andrew Frankl, the charmingHungarian friend, at Schmidt’s restaurant in Charlotte Street and, that as they say, was that!  The two were married at Hampstead Registry Office on December 16th, 1967 surrounded by family and friends.

Introduced to the world of Grand Prix, June was soon doing lap times on the pit wall forF1 legends like Sir Jackie Stewart and Ronnie Peterson, and cooking dinner fora then up—and-coming Niki Lauda.  Camping out in a white MGB at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, jumping behind the bar at Tahiti Plage in St. Tropez, and enjoying the London scene with plenty of other Hungarian / British couple friends, were just some of the adventures they enjoyed at the tail end of the swinging 60s!

On July 26, 1971 they welcomed twins Nicholas and Annabelle, some six weeks prematurely and only two days after discovering there would be two babies and not one!  After spending six weeks in incubators, she was finally able to take them home where they soon grew from tiny preemies to chubby toddlers.

As part of a close group of families with Hungarian fathers and British mothers, the majority of summer and winter holidays (from Vasto to Lake Balaton, Val d’Isere to Zermatt) were spent ‘en masse’, the parents looking after a gaggle of kids who enjoyed creating improv plays, jumping / running / throwing competitions, and more, while a much-deserved drink or two was enjoyed by the older members of the families!

Moving from their first flat in Finchley Road to a small house in Crystal Palace, then to Bromley, and onto Beckenham, the family finally settled at Hillview House in Tatsfield, Kent in 1984, where for 10+ years June created a warm home and beautiful gardens that saw many parties and fun times with friends from around the world.  Andrew’s 50th, the Twins’ 21st,summer parties, tennis parties, and many Christmas Days were celebrated there,with June’s incredible cooking and BBQs always a highlight.  

From the mid-70s onwards, dogs became a part of the family.  Acquiring her first Lhasa Apso from one Mrs. Hesketh Williams, she was informed she had been sold the wrong dog, one of show quality, that simply mustn’t be wasted! And so began a 30+ year career within the Apso world, where she soon became a formidable force with her Nichann (for NICHolas andANNabelle) Affix. She made up her 1st Champion (Ch. Nichann Nying-Chang-Po) in the mid-70s and went on to breed 8 Champions under the Nichann affix,campaigning six to their titles herself. She also owned and campaigned English, American & Irish Ch. Remarc Rebellion at Nichann, bred by Clive Harrold, who was awarded Best Of Breed at Crufts in 1991.

A member of the Lhasa Apso Club and South East Lhasa Apso Society Committees, June’s knowledg eand experience of the breed was immense. A member of the Kennel Club, she awarded Champion Certificates many times and judged abroad frequently, including the USA Lhasa Apso Specialty in2000.  She loved to talk about dogs and breed type and was an eloquent, highly intelligent, and elegant breed ambassador. Judging Crufts in 1997, dressed in a beautiful lilac suit with perfectly matching shoes and immaculately blow-dried hair (never to be found without a can of Elnet hairspray!), she still looked impeccable at day’s end,after seeing over 200 dogs.

Following her and Andrew’s divorce in the mid-90s she continued to live at Hillview House, becoming active in local village life, continuing to show and judge both at home and abroad, and traveling extensively, often with her children.  When they both moved to California at the end of the 90s, she began splitting her time between Tatsfield and LA, relishing in the sunshine and being close to her twins.  She reconnected with her dear friend, Clive Harrold, around 2001, and the two became companions, partners in dogs and in life, with their shared love for the Apso world.

June had a zest for life.  She loved fun, dancing, young people, and she hated to complain – except about the weather, her absolutely number one subject, to be discussed at least once a day!  Following her cancer diagnosis in February 2016, she and her children decided as a family to go the ‘alternative’ route, knowing full well that the ‘traditional’ poisonous one would be a quick, painful and miserable final few months, given her weak heart and the advanced state of the disease.

And so began a summer of “#adventureswithmummy”.  June’s immunotherapy treatments bolstered her system rather than diminished it, allowing them all to journey from London to Eindhoven,Amsterdam, Paris, the Somme, Monaco, St. Tropez, the Normandy Landings, and beyond, sharing incredible adventures, and making fantastic memories together.

Throughout, June was amazing. Her strength, discipline, and resolve were inspiring. She was determined to give it her all.  She adhered to a strict diet and treatment plan that enabled her to continue living an active and happy life as she and the children settled for a few months in the south of France, a region she always adored, with sunshine a plenty and gorgeous views of the Mediterranean, plus days of sailing, fireworks, toes in the sand, and lots of fresh fish, her favourite.

They enjoyed a social whirl of events together as never before: the amazing 10th anniversary of Chateau d’Esclans, a private Elton John concert at the MonacoYacht Club, lunch with dear friends at Club 55 (followed by a superyacht chill out session, bien sur!), an incredible classical concert at the Palais Princier, plus celebrating the twins’ 45th birthday – on a yacht, at a friend’s villa, and at a nightclub in St. Tropez, where, of course, she took a turn on the dance floor! Beautifully dressed at the Red Cross Ball, she had the opportunity to catch up with one of her favourite men in the world, HSH Prince Albert, and to finally meet Princess Charlene (fellow mother of twins), who gave her a huge hug. #adventureswithmummy, indeed.

She leaves behind two children who love her dearly and whom she always supported and encouraged in every way.  Whether getting up at dawn to drive Annabelle and her pony Dylan to showjumping competitions, or filling Nicholas’ school “tuck box” with all of his favourite sweets, cooking mouth-watering Sunday lunches (often for the kids' friends, who found her food to be far superior to what they were getting at home!), warming their toes and having hot chocolate ready after a cold day of skiing, or simply imparting some wise words of wisdom (all-too-often ignored but, of course, spot-on!), June was the epitome of a warm, loving, and affectionate Mummy.  She will be missed.