June Shaw Collier

Barbara June Shaw Collier, age 91, longtime educator in the Charleston R-1 School District and a resident of rural Charleston, passed away on Sunday, September 27, 2026, near Charleston MO.

June was born on May 19, 1935, in Columbus, Mississippi to Wilma Lee Andrews and James Aubrey Shaw. The family moved to the Charleston area in 1951; where she completed 11th and 12th Grades at Diehlstadt High School, where she graduated as Salutatorian of the Class of 1953 and played piano at her Baccalaureate Ceremony.

She met the love of her life, Glen Owen Collier, by attending high school at Diehlstadt with his sister, Barbara.

After graduation, June and Glen married on August 28, 1953. Their first date had been as a blind date on New Year’s Eve, they were engaged to be married the following year on New Year’s Eve, and planned to wed on that holiday but moved the ceremony up so her brother Henry who was in the Army could attend before being deployed to Korea.

June went to work for R.Q. Brown at the University Extension Office and later for Joslyn & Joslyn, Attorneys at Law, before she and Glen took ownership of the Lusk Chapel Store in 1959, which they operated until 1968. She said that the day they sold that store was one of the happiest days of her life. She also was a member of The Lusk Extension Club and a 4-H Group Leader with community friends.

While she raised her family and Glen was farming, June started taking classes at Southeast Missouri State University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching. She would later complete her Master’s Degree.

She began her teaching career at Charleston Junior High School in the Language Arts Department in 1972, where she worked until her retirement in 2000. During her tenure, she taught in the old High School Building, the Simmons Equipment Building, and finally the new Junior High Building. She was a memorable teacher, described by many former students as strict but fair. Her revered Principal Mr. Warren Moss, used three words to describe June in her teaching, those of “stern, capable and demanding.” Long after she retired, her former students would share the impact she had on their lives.

She was an avid traveler, from road trips with Glen and their children to later trips including her grandchildren. She visited all 50 states and passed on her sense of adventure to her children and grandchildren. After retirement, she organized trips for “The Joyful Seniors” Group of First Baptist Church of Charleston, where she was a member for more than 50 years.

She embraced new things. She was an early user of the iPhone and always made sure she got her upgrade. She had gotten the newest model a week before her death. The staff at the AT&T Store said she could run circles around most people when it came to iPhones and Apple Watches.

She spent a lot of time in her car, traveling to see family, and it was kept pristine, inside and out.

June is survived by her three children Leslie (Lana) Collier of Charleston, Laurie (Dennis) Urhahn of Paducah KY, and Lee (Adam) Adams of Fairview TN, her seven grandchildren Heather Collier, Tyler (Jennifer) Collier, Morgan (John Robert) Goodin, Chelsea (Mark) Smith, Cole (Meghan) Urhahn, Ethan Adams, and Lauren Adams; her seven great-grandchildren Katie Shaw, Everett, and Hattie Collier, Lottie and John Everett Goodin, and Callie and Sophie Smith; her sister Linda Shaw (Larry) Urhahn; and three nephews Danny (Donna) Shaw, Jim (Lynn) Shaw, and Hunter (Heather) Barry.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her grandson Ryan Urhahn and her brother Henry Shaw.

Visitation will be from 9:00 A.M. until the time for the funeral service at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, October 03, 2026, at First Baptist Church of Charleston, 301 South Main Street, Charleston, MO with the pastor, Reverend Milton Harrington, officiating.

Interment will follow in the I.O.O.F Cemetery, north of Charleston under the direction of McMikle Funeral Home of Charleston.

Pallbearers will be Adam Adams, Ethan Adams, Tyler Collier, John Robert Goodin, Mark Smith, and Cole Urhahn.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorial contributions be made to the Charleston Nutrition Center, 205 West Commercial Street, Charleston, MO 63834, where June enjoyed many meals with friends.

Online condolences may be shared at www.mcmiklefuneralhome.com