Obituary: June Louise (Mickelson) Bell

June 17, 1926 ~ May 29, 2023

June Louise Bell, 96, died on May 29, 2023.

June was born June 27, 1926, and grew up in idyllic Sister Bay, WI. The first daughter to Albin W Mickelson and Pearl E (Brodd) Mickelson, she grew up in a close-knit community of family and neighbors. She and her two sisters were close their entire lives, eventually residing in the same retirement community in Sister Bay. She outlived three husbands and had four children, seven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. She lived a very full life.

She was active, even walking outside right up until a month before she died. She was an avid tennis player (and very competitive about it!) after learning at age 50 and continued playing to age 80. She traveled in the last half of her life extensively, over 50 trips to foreign countries, and about the same to parts of the USA. She biked, hiked, cross country skied, danced, and went to many exercise classes.

She was creative. She engaged in many crafts – knitting, decoupage, sewing, and quilting. She acted in the Nicolet Players, even as the lead in one play.

She was capable, a genuine DIYer. She knew how to bake, cook, can, and garden. She painted her home inside and out. She refinished her kitchen cabinets, made curtains, and even redid the upholstery of her husband’s plane. She took flying lessons. She organized the parties of her tennis league. She restored the rusted fenders of her car and painted them herself!

But most of all, she was kind. She did many small things for the people in her life that made them know she was thinking of them. She had a smile and said hello to everyone; she made a point of learning about other people around her. She never said a bad thing about others, even when she was treated badly by them, and she rarely, if ever, complained about anything.

She will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by her sister, Betty Holland; her daughters, Jana Hinkens, Anne Kravit, Diane France; son, George Hinkens; her grandchildren, Alison Kravit, Jessie Defazio, Katie Kravit, Nicole France, Ryland France, Adam Lewis, and Andrew Hinkens; her great-grandchildren, Jack O’Brien, Hannah Kravit, Margot Kravit, Samuel Kravit DeFazio, Luisa DeFazio, Cole Dimbleby and Penelope Lewis; and a host of sons- and daughters-in-law, friends and co-residents of Meadowview at Good Samaritan.    

Casperson Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Sister Bay is assisting the family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of June may be shared with her family through her tribute page at www.caspersonfuneralhome.com.