Iva June Fail Dedeke, 71, Denison KS, went to be with her Lord and Savior Tuesday, December 16, 2014.  June valiantly fought cancer for the last 13 years.  She was born February 11, 1943, in Chanute, KS, the daughter of Ivan J. Fail and Helen Bernice Hollibaugh-Benefiel.  June was of Sioux Native American heritage and was very proud of that.
She graduated from Altoona High School in 1961, where she enjoyed Home Economics. She was a member of the Kayettes, FHA, Chorus, Mixed Chorus, Junior Play, Pep Club, and Band. She played the trombone, piano, and accordion.  She had a beautiful voice and enjoyed singing hymns with her daughter as she played the piano.
June attended beauty school in Miami OK.  She worked at Olga’s Beauty Shop in Leavenworth KS in 1962.   She later obtained her CNA and CMA certificates and worked at various places, Easton KS, Tahlequah OK, Horton KS, and Branson MO.
On October 20, 1963, June married Walter Dedeke, at Leavenworth.  They have two children, Tonia L. Dedeke- Culbertson-Nelson and Terry E. Dedeke.   June spent her married life living in the country and in early years on a productive farm.   She enjoyed gardening, woodworking, sewing, quilting, and cooking.   She raised two of her grandchildren, Tyler and Christopher Dedeke.
June had a strong faith in God and that shined through her actions.  She laughed often, loved hard, and was not afraid to live life despite the diagnosis of cancer.  She continued to attempt to sing, laugh, sew, and paint up to the end.  The cancer rendered her left arm useless and yet she pushed on to make the last of her quilts, only having the use of one arm,  for her twin great-granddaughters, Lyra and Larkyn Hayes.
June was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2009. She refused to give in to the disease and was able to see four of her great grandchildren prior to her death.  She wanted to see the grandchildren she raised grow into young men and she did.  She wanted more time with her soul mate, Gene, and she was blessed.
My mother always tried to see the good in people even though the good was not always given to her.  She never complained and was quick to apologize if she did.  She was a good mother, a loyal wife, and a devoted friend.  She was someone that my father loved dearly and said often that "she was the best" and "I can never say I didn’t get the best when I married her".   My mother was my friend, my consoler, my best advocate, my safe place.
June is survived by her husband Walter Eugene Dedeke (Gene) of 51 years of marriage; her daughter, Tonia Nelson, Easton, and her son, Terry Dedeke, Walnut Shade MO;  six grandchildren, Jennifer Culbertson-Hayes (Tyler), Jeremy Culbertson, Alyson Nelson, Aden Nelson, Christopher Dedeke, and Tyler Dedeke; four great-grandchildren, Landon Hayes, Lyra and Larkyn Hayes, Alana Culbertson; three brothers, Ivan L. Fail, John Fail, Larry Fail;
many nieces and nephews; and numerous friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ivan and Bernice Fail.
 Funeral Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Monday December 22, 2014, at the Valley Falls Christian Church in Valley Falls, KS. Burial will be at Bethel Cemetery, Easton, KS, at 1:30 p.m. Visitation will be from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Sunday, at Mercer Funeral Home in Valley Falls. 
 Memorial donations in memory of June may be made to the Andrea Schmeissner Nursing College Fund and sent c/o Mercer Funeral Home, PO Box 6, Valley Falls, KS.
 Ms. Schmeissner cared for both June and Gene at their home with kindness and a true gift of nursing ability.  She will touch many lives in her nursing career and the family believes she has a gift that not all caregivers possess . She will be a priceless asset to the medical field with her Christian faith and overwhelming acts of love. Ms. Schmeissner spent countless hours caring for June. She brightened her last days with her laughter, her love of life and her ability to pour kindness to all she touches.
The family would also like to thank each of you for the kindness, support, friendship and love given to our Mother, Grandmother and Wife. God Bless you.
Online condolences are welcome at www.mercerfuneralhomes.com.