June Hearn

June Ruffin Hearn, age 89, went home to her Lord and Savior on March 25, 2024.  June was born in Jasper County Mississippi to A.B. Ruffin and Gertrude Carr Ruffin on May 21, 1934. She grew up in Laurel and graduated from high school there.  From her earliest years, June was well-loved by everyone. During high school she was selected as Homecoming Maid, Homecoming Queen, and Miss Laurel High School. After graduation, June attended Jones Junior College; she was also named Garden Club Queen during this time.

June and her husband Ted have been true life partners. After five years of dating, Ted called her from Mississippi State and told her nothing much was going on at school. He suggested that they might get married that weekend. June’s answer was, “Yes!” Their elopement took place on January 10, 1953, and they remained married and in love for 72 years. June and Ted raised their family: Judy, Jenny and Russell in Laurel. 

From her earliest years, June had a love of and a flair for fashion. In Laurel, she opened a dress shop named The Sassy Cat, a boutique for girls and young women. Of course, it was a rousing success. Subsequently, she and Ted started a men’s store: The Tom Cat.   In 1972, the family moved to Gulfport, and June Hearn became friends with June Vincent. June’s store As You Like It became June Hearn’s home away from home. The two Junes worked together for over thirty years until they closed the store. During those years, As You Like It wasn’t just a shop to buy the latest styles; it was a gathering place where all were welcomed and treated as family.  

In addition to her love for fashion, June had a competitive side. She and Ted were charter members of Bayou Bluff Tennis Club where June was a tough tennis player, competing in levels 3.5-4.0 tennis all the way from adult leagues to super senior ones. June’s love for the game was outmatched, however, by her love for her teammates and others she met. Tennis was a great excuse to enjoy life with them. 

June loved her family with her whole heart, frequently hosting them for dinners at her home and traveling with them to places such as Germany, Alaska, Banff, and New York City.  Although she loved these trips to faraway places, June’s favorite family destination was their condo in Destin. 

An active volunteer with a true servant’s heart, June was involved with many service organizations, including Gulfport Junior Auxiliary, Garden Club, Koinonia Bible Study, Feed My Sheep, and Sunday School. She was an active member of Trinity Methodist Church for fifty years. 

Wherever June went, she made a friend. She loved people and was always happy to give and receive big hugs. From Trinity, to the grocery store, to the tennis club, to her walks with her Seashore Highlands friends, she touched people We are all better people because we knew our Junebug. 

June was preceded in death by her parents, A.B. and Gertrude Carr Ruffin; and her brother and his wife, B.G. and Betty Ruffin.  She is survived by her husband, Thomas “Ted” Hearn, her daughters, Judy (Tim) Cottrell; Jenny (Steven) Farragut; her son, Russell (Kimberly) Hearn; her grandchildren, Lauren (Jeff) Bertucci, Tom Farragut, and Garrett Hearn.  She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Ward, Olivia, Ann Elise Bertucci; and Anna Parker and Thomas Farragut; and special friends from Seashore Highlands, Tricia, Jeannie, and Nancy.

Special thanks go to the staff at Hospice of Light: Olivia and Teadra. Special thanks also to her Seashore friends: Donna, Heather, Karen, Mary Jo, and Ann. 

Visitation will be held at Trinity Methodist Church on Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 8:45-10:45AM, with a service following at 10:45. Interment will take place at Biloxi National Cemetery at 12:30PM. 

 In honor of June, the family requests that, if possible, you wear pink or another bright color in  celebration of her well-lived life. 

Riemann Family Funeral Home, Gulfport, is serving the family, and memories may be shared at www.riemannfamily.com .

Due to floral restrictions at the Biloxi National Cemetery, memorials may be made to Feed My Sheep at www.feedmysheep.org , the Salvation Army at Mississippi Gulf Coast Area Command (salvationarmy.org) , or TNT Ranch Recovery Home Homeless Veterans Shelter, 11373 Allen Road, Gulfport, MS 39503.