Rigler, June De Nio - 1921-2011

DE NIO, FERRY, MATSON, RIGLER

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 10/22/2024 at 12:22:08

June De Nio Rigler, 90, of Muscatine, Iowa, passed away on September 24, 2011, at Valley View Manor Assisted Living on the campus of Lutheran Homes in Muscatine after a recent decline in her health.
A Memorial Service to celebrate her life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 23, 2011, at the First Presbyterian Church in Muscatine, Iowa. A private burial will be held at Graceland Cemetery, in the Rigler family lot, in her husband's hometown of New Hampton, Iowa.
There will be no visitation. Memorials may be made to The Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots (4300 Amelia Earhart Road, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73159-1140), Muscatine Art Center, and First Presbyterian Church of Muscatine. The Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
June was born on July 30, 1921, in Cedar Rapids, the daughter of Earl William "Denny" and Mary June Matson De Nio. She was affectionately known as "Frances June" among her Matson and De Nio relatives.
June De Nio Rigler was an accomplished aviatrix, artist, community volunteer, sportswoman, wife, mother, and friend. One of the defining moments of her life occurred in her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when she was 14 years old. She attended a lecture given by pioneer aviatrix Amelia Earhart and met Miss Earhart backstage after the lecture. Inspired by Amelia's example, June obtained her private pilot's license just four years later. Prior to receiving the license, June took her aeronautical training (ground school) while a freshman at Coe College, in Cedar Rapids, when Coe offered its first-ever Civilian Pilot Training course before World War II. June was the only female member of the class. Having earned the money for flying lessons, she logged her flight hours in the sky above Dan Hunter Field in Cedar Rapids, piloting an Aeronca Chief airplane. One of her solo flights was a cross-country trip from Cedar Rapids to airports first in Iowa City then in Muscatine-where, coincidentally, she would later reside-and back again to Cedar Rapids. After receiving her pilot's license in 1940, she joined The Ninety-Nines, Inc., the esteemed organization of licensed women pilots, so named for its ninety-nine charter members, of which Amelia Earhart was a charter member and first president.
June's freshman year at Coe College, 1939-1940, proved to be a pivotal year in her life. Not only did she achieve her dream of flying an airplane, but she also began her formal training in the visual fine arts. Art became a passion. She took art classes at Coe under distinguished art professor Marvin Cone, who was a contemporary and friend of artist Grant Wood, also of Cedar Rapids. After her year at Coe, she transferred to The University of Iowa to immerse herself more fully in the fine arts, taking such classes as oil painting, life drawing, and art anatomy. Among her professors were printmaker Mauricio Lasansky and sculptor Humbert Albrizio. She graduated in 1946 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Between her junior and senior years at The University of Iowa, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she was employed in fashion and dress design as well as in the aviation industry. The fashion designer's shop where she worked was on the now-famous Rodeo Drive, and June was delighted to help prepare a dress for movie actress Loretta Young. June also pursued her interest in aviation by working at North American Aviation in Inglewood, California, near Long Beach, where she cleaned, oiled, and assembled 50-caliber machine guns for P-51 Mustangs and B-25 Mitchells, commonly known as "Billy Mitchell" bombers, during World War II.
Prior to living in Los Angeles, she worked for Collins Radio, now Rockwell Collins, in Cedar Rapids on the assembly line soldering condensers for radio equipment used on Navy ships and airplanes.
In 1945, June returned to The University of Iowa to finish her studies. After graduating in 1946, June was accepted into the United Air Lines stewardess training program in San Francisco, California, and upon completion was based in Chicago, Illinois. During her career with United Air Lines, her greatest thrill was being part of the all-Iowa flight crew that brought the inaugural flight of United's 21-passenger DC-3 plane, christened Mainliner Cedar Rapids, into the Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport on April 26, 1947.
While in Chicago with United, June renewed her acquaintance with John B. "Jack" Rigler, a banker with The Northern Trust Company of Chicago whom she had known slightly when both were students at The University of Iowa. Their courtship in Chicago resulted in marriage at the home of June's parents in Cedar Rapids on September 20, 1947. Because United Air Lines' policy at that time required that a stewardess must remain unmarried, June concluded her career as stewardess shortly after her engagement to Jack. She later joined United Stewardess Alumnae, Inc., which was renamed Clipped Wings®, and remained a loyal member all of her life.
After their wedding, June and Jack made their home in Chicago and later moved to the suburbs of Oak Park and Glen Ellyn, Illinois. During their early years of marriage, June worked for well-known Chicago department stores Marshall Field & Company and Carson Pirie Scott & Co. While living in the Chicago area, the Riglers had two children, Sally June Rigler and James Barr Rigler.
In 1960, Mr. Rigler accepted an invitation from Mr. S.G. Stein III to become the president of Central State Bank in Muscatine, Iowa. The Rigler family moved to Muscatine and June rapidly became involved in volunteer activities with a variety of community organizations. Supportive of her husband's career, June attended bank and banking-related functions and was always willing to put together a last-minute dinner party when Jack issued spontaneous invitations to banking colleagues.
June was an active participant with her husband in a variety of outdoor activities, including fly fishing, pheasant hunting, skiing (which the Riglers learned at the age of 50), horseback riding, and camping. She was a loyal fan of Hawkeye football and basketball. June enjoyed gardening and considered her visit to Monet's Garden in Giverny, France, a dream come true.
Her passion for the arts continued to flourish when she discovered a community of artists in the Muscatine area. Not only did she continue to create art, but she also joined several local arts organizations, including Artists in Action and ArtSpace. She was quick to promote other artists and coordinated many exhibits for area artists in addition to her own exhibits. Of particular importance and honor were two roles: she was a founding director, life member, and president of the Muscatine County Museum and Fine Arts Association, Inc., the organization which established the Laura Musser Art Gallery and Museum, now known as the Muscatine Art Center, and she was a member of the board of directors of The University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa. June mentored many young people who showed talent for the visual arts through scholarships, encouragement, and time spent listening to their dreams.
In addition to her other activities, June continued to pursue her interest in aviation with membership in The Ninety-Nines, Inc., Clipped Wings®, and involvement with the Muscatine Municipal Airport. She was a member of the committee that planned the opening of the newly designed airport terminal in 2005. The Iowa Chapter of The Ninety-Nines saluted June on April 17, 2011, when members arrived at the Muscatine Municipal Airport to paint a compass rose on the airport tarmac in June's honor. June loved to encourage young people who were interested in aviation and in learning to fly.
A devoted mother to her two children, June served as Girl Scout Troop Leader and Cub Scout Den Mother, attended band concerts, and was an enthusiastic spectator at her son's many football, basketball, and baseball games as well as track-and-field events. She was a friend to her children's friends, often mentoring them in puppetry and other creative endeavors. Her artistic talent expressed itself at Halloween when she painted the faces of neighborhood children who appeared as clowns in the annual Muscatine Halloween Parade. She was an inspirational role model to her children and their friends.
June had a lifelong love of learning and a natural curiosity about how things worked. As a teenager, she worked at a friend's service station where she honed her automotive skills by pumping gas, performing oil changes, and assisting with car repairs. At the age of 60, she became adept at operating a computer, an achievement that was the outgrowth of her motto never to stop learning new skills. Her time at the computer was productive; she wrote her aviation memoirs and frequently e-mailed friends and relatives.
June was past president of Chapter MM P.E.O. and West End Fortnightly Club, and an active member of Zeta Forum Bridge Club, the American Association of University Women, Geneva Golf and Country Club, and The University of Iowa Alumni Association. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Muscatine for over 50 years, and she served as a deacon, taught Sunday School, and artistically decorated the church sanctuary for seasonal and holiday worship.
June's remarkable attitude throughout life is to be admired. She was known for her spunk, candor, courage, determination, perseverance, and sense of humor. She faced challenges with courage, faith, and laughter.
June is survived by her husband of 64 years, John B. "Jack" Rigler of Muscatine; her daughter, Sally J. Rigler of Edina, Minnesota; her son, James B. Rigler and his wife, Gail, and their family, Liana and Brett Ferry and the Ferry's sons Ethan and Zackery, all of Mill Valley, California; her brother, Quentin R. De Nio, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; her brother-in-law, Robert R. Rigler and his wife, Virginia, of New Hampton; many nieces and nephews; a multitude of friends, aviation and art associates, and fly-fishing companions.
June was preceded in death by her parents.
Published in Des Moines (IA) Register; Wednesday, October 19, 2011, page 8B