June Deborah Powderhill McCall, 94, of Portsmouth, gently took her last breath on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at Hill View Retirement Center, surrounded by love. June was born on June 8, 1931, in Blackpool, England. She was the daughter of the late George and Olga Powderhill.
She immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1948, and they moved to Portsmouth, Ohio, with several of their British relatives. June enrolled in the former Portsmouth Interstate Business College. After graduation, she became secretary for Leo Blackburn, President of the PIBC. There she met her true love, her husband of sixty-six years, Kenneth M. McCall. When Ken died in 2016, June wrote that there was a hole in her heart that would last forever. June was a wife, mom, nana, sister, aunt, school secretary, volunteer, friend, and hugger to the many, many people she loved. Those who knew her well all agree that ninety-nine percent of the time, June was a sweet and loving little lady. But the other one percent, those are the stories we are sharing and that are making us smile! She hugged a lot of people throughout her life. June’s hugs lasted even after she let go. You might have received hugs from her at McKinley Middle School, where she worked for many years as the Secretary. June and her family were longtime members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church. You might have received hugs there, especially if you sang in the choir with her. You probably received a hug at a volunteer event sponsored by the Friends of SOMC. June volunteered hundreds of hours to support Friends, including serving as President.
She was a founding member of PALS, continuing to give much time raising money to support projects and organizations in Portsmouth. We hope she had time to give you a hug between selling flowers, organizing fundraisers, and being available to volunteer wherever needed. June and Ken were fixtures at all the Portsmouth High School football and basketball games – events made for hugging.
June is survived by a daughter, Wendy (Chris) Johnson and a son, Colin ( Sara) McCall; three grandchildren, Andy (Chinn Wang) Johnson, Erin (Tim) Hogan, and Wes (Megan Duffy) Johnson; seven great grandchildren, Patrick Hogan, Imogen Johnson, Gram Johnson, Michael Hogan, Sadie Johnson, Thomas Hogan, and Josephine Johnson. Oh, how she loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren! We received the most hugs! Colin believes his parents never missed one of his baseball games, from Little League through high school and beyond in the Del Rice League. Wendy and her mom loved to shop for clothes and shoes! June also made many of Wendy’s outfits, including her wedding dress. June was a knitter – hats, scarves, sweaters, blankets were created for friends and family. June loved Christmas, especially having all the children and grandchildren spend the night on Christmas Eve to wake up to a mountain of gifts and overflowing stockings. June and Ken loved to take the family to Myrtle Beach each summer.
June is also survived by sisters-in-law, Joan Kizer, Shirley Chamberlin, Judy Kizer, and Sharon Buchanan; brother-in-law, Richard McCall; and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her sister, Irene Liddle Eisnaugle; brother, Stanley Powderhill; brother-in-law, Dennis McCall; and sister-in-law, Eileen Hornung. Her grandson, Michael McCall, died in 2018, which was a very difficult and sad loss for June and all our family.
It’s impossible to find the words to adequately thank everyone who works at Hill View Retirement Center, especially the staff of Lakeside Assisted Living, who became a loving family for June and for all of us. June gave lots of hugs to the staff at Hill View. Thanks to each of you for loving our mom, June Bug! Thank you for taking such good care of her and of us. We will always be grateful to you….always! We hope you know how much your friendship means to our family. Many thanks to Keri Kuhn,CNP, who took care of June’s medical needs and became a loving friend. Thanks to Susan and Kim at SOMC Hospice who have been so supportive of Mom’s needs the last years. You helped us understand how to navigate the end of Mom’s life and for that we thank you.
June will be privately interred in the Saint Thomas Columbarium at All Saints’ Episcopal Church. Any donations in June’s memory can be made to The Kenneth McCall Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o The Scioto Foundation, P.O. Box 911, Portsmouth, OH 45662.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Ralph F. Scott Funeral Home in Portsmouth.
