The Chapter Story-Chapter 8: “Guardian of Angels”
June Partoll
By Sherrie Benes
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Acknowledgement: “I would dedicate my story to my mom, my wonderful grandparents and my husband Bernie. My mom and grandparents were always there for me, and Bern helped me grow as a person. He taught me how to be strong and confident.”

Introduction: As I write this story of such an incredible lady, I hope I can translate through my writing how much love and compassion radiates from her! There are many angels around and above, who have been blessed with the joy of knowing this lady, and I am one of them … enjoy!

I think the fear of moving from a subdivision near Chicago to the countryside of Palmyra would put any 16 year old in culture shock! And this is exactly what happened to young June Deuel, when her mother Mabel (Anderson) and father Lamar Deuel thought the city was getting too dangerous to live in …

One day while vacationing on her grandparents’ property in Little Prairie, the family packed up to go swimming at the beach in Palmyra. Her parents decided to stop and buy the local newspaper to read while June and her siblings swam, and this is where her father spotted the ‘For Rent’ ad in the Palmyra Enterprise …

Six days later, in the summer of ‘58 June found herself living in Wisconsin, in a house that had no running water, no furnace and no bathroom. (It did offer a coal stove and an outhouse though!) Being the middle child, she found herself helping out with the younger siblings, but also found time to work at the local pharmacy in Palmyra while attending her sophomore year in high school. “If Dr. Handyside’s office shade was pulled down, this meant that his last patient of the night needed no prescription, so we could close the drugstore! If they needed medication, the shade would stay up!” she retold with a laugh. To get to her job, she had to walk four miles along the railroad tracks from the country into town and sometimes wouldn’t return home until after dark, using only a flashlight to guide her.

Recalling these days when first moving to Wisconsin, June describes them as some of the toughest days of her life. But those tough times also gave her the knowledge to be able to quote these questions to others who may need to hear it, “Do you know what it’s like to be hungry? Do you know what it’s like to be cold? This is what makes you stronger, makes you work harder, and gives you faith in God.”

To me it’s ironic to see how June’s life story unfolds in the years that follow, when I heard about her first job in a pharmacy. But it’s not just about the job in a pharmacy and how she then later fulfilled her dream of becoming a nurse. No, it’s about that farm boy who walked into the pharmacy one day after church, just to buy his parents a newspaper, that would change her life forever …

When Bernie Partoll entered the pharmacy that day, June knew little about him other than knowing his sister, who would bring in rolls of film to be developed of her new baby boy. But after he continued to come in weekly to purchase the paper, Bernie finally asked her out on a date! Laughing, she said, “here was this poor, 17-year-old shy girl, with Bernie the athlete!” Of their first date she recalled how he picked her up in his beautiful maroon Oldsmobile and took her to the Sterlingworth Supper Club for dinner. “We didn’t stay out late,” she said. “He was a farmer and had to be up to milk cows at 5:00, even though Bernie’s dad always told him that he didn’t have a curfew! He would tell him, “If you go to bed at 5 minutes to 5, you get up at 5:00!” She laughed while reciting this quote from ‘Pa’ ….

With so much fondness, she went on to describe Bernie Partoll as the perfect gentleman. “He was kind, easy to talk to, loafers always polished and he would always open my door and walk on the street side of the sidewalk.”

They continued to date and she was soon learning how to water ski on Whitewater Lake with Bernie and his friends and it wasn’t long after that she was brought ‘home’ to the farm. She loved the animals, his parents and the devotion Bernie had for his family and the farm.

Bernie escorted her to her senior prom, and she even won the Miss Southern Wisconsin National Guard that year! After graduation June moved out of her parents’ home and after attending a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course with her mom at Fairhaven in Whitewater, she took a job at the Lakeland Nursing Home as a licensed CNA. “You could get a little room at the nursing home for $30 a month if you were an employee, which included three meals a day and a laundry service!” June loved working there and she loved the residents!

“On Thursday nights we would go down to the chapel and sing! I also remember a time when the residents wanted a popcorn machine. We decided to put on the show ‘Oklahoma’ and we charged the residents $1 to go towards the purchase of it. I and another employee sang the lead and when the administration saw the show, they were so excited that they decided to open it up to the public! That made us enough money to buy the popcorn machine!”

One of the things June talked about often when referring to any patients she had throughout her career was how they were treated. “When I used to interview potential nursing staff, I cared little about their GPA! What I wanted to know was ‘how much they cared’ …”

“People deserve to keep their dignity in their aging years, I would tell them! If a lady has always dressed up, and put on her makeup and jewelry every day of her life, then while she is here you get her up and put on her makeup and jewelry!” she retold me with passion!

Which takes us back to when June was 18, working still for the Lakeland Nursing home …

“On Wednesday nights, I would pick up residents Winnie and Florence and take them out for a night on the town! They would get all dressed up with their earrings and makeup on, anticipating this night out! I would pick up two cocktails at the Evergreen Country Club, (which the bartender would have ready, when I walked in the door!) and we would drive around Elkhorn in my old Chevy, while they smoked and drank their cocktails in the back seat!”

On Christmas day in 1962, Bernie Partoll proposed to June Deuel and they were married on September 28, 1963 in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Palmyra.

June and Bernie made their first residence in the upstairs of Bernie’s parents’ farm house, which Bernie and his father had converted into an apartment for them. His parents had purchased this farm in 1950 where Bernie milked 46 head of cows and this would be the place that they would forever call ‘home’ …

Within the next few years, June and Bernie started to grow their family and their parents decided to move to the farmhouse down the road that Bernie’s brother owned.

Not only had their family begun to grow, but they also found themselves growing the family farm business. They had purchased a second farm by this time and they also rented the farmland from his brother, who owned the farm down the road, to help feed their expanding head of livestock. Along with this growth, they also experienced grief with the passing of ‘Pa’ (Joseph Partoll, Bernie’s father) at the young age of 61. June recalled how Bernie’s dad, or Pa as she called him, liked her from the first time he met her because of her tall height! “He must’ve thought I was a good, strong farm girl!’ she said with a chuckle!

When the brother decided to sell his investment farm down the road, they knew they needed to purchase this farm for the land to feed their cattle. June then decided that she wanted to go back to work to help with the health insurance. Bernie knew her dream was to be a nurse, so he told her that she couldn’t go back to being a nurse’s aide because it was too hard on her back, but he was very supportive of her going back to school to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.

June was content with putting her dreams on hold, raising her family and helping on the farm. But the day had come when she waved goodbye to her children Phillip, Lyn, Janet and Tina as they got on the school bus, as she herself headed off to school! This would be the beginning of many years of continued education for this lady, which also showed her kids that with hard work you can achieve anything you set your mind to!

With their busy, hectic life, they always found time to embrace family time on the farm! “From having four kids within six years, we always counted our pennies and did what we had to do. We would take the buggy, the jump seat and high chair out to the barn with us for the kids to sit in while we milked! We would have spaghetti picnics out in the field, and we would also have dress up dinners! I would set the table with all our good dishes, light some candles and we would all get dressed up for our dinner parties! I also remember, every Christmas Bernie would get a present from the kids and he would shake the box and say, ‘I know what’s in here! It’s a new manure wagon!’ as all of us would laugh! It’s memories like this that they remember.”

June continued her education, surpassing her dreams of when she began, while still balancing farm life, work, certifications, and four busy children’s schedules! She and Bernie had known early on that they would play an active role in their children’s life which included 4-H leader, PTA and the Booster Club. She also spent many years singing with the children on Saturday mornings at St. Patrick Catholic Church, along with playing in the guitar mass with several other community members in the 70’s!

“I would also have to mention the adult daycare programs that I initiated in Fort Atkinson and Lake Mills at two churches. They are to help those who care for their loved ones at home and to give some respite to those caregivers, while it gives their loved ones socialization and fun! They have been a wonderful addition to these communities for more than 20 years and their success is due to Fort HealthCare and the community volunteers!”

This list of June’s education and certifications below, was just the beginning of how she would become the ‘guardian’ to so many:

Madison College LPN: 1976
Blackhawk College Nursing ADN Wisconsin & Multi States Licensure: 1985-current
UW Whitewater Social Work B.S. Wisconsin Licensure: 1992-current
UW Parkside Gerontology (1995-1996 graduated) Certification in Gerontology: 1996
UW Madison Wisconsin Nurses Aide Trainer, Certification School of Nursing: 2001
UW Madison Nursing Home Administration Course completion 1995
State and federal exam 1995
Licensed State of Wisconsin: 1995-current
Partoll Consulting Service LLC: 2009-current

The list of June’s positions where she touched the lives of many:

Director of Nursing Lakeland Nursing Home: 1985-1986
Director/Case manager Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital: 1986-1996
DRG Coordinator Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital: 1986-1990
Administrator Sub-acute Care Center Fort Atkinson Healthcare Services: 1996-2008
Faculty Madison Campus Instructor CNA training: 2003-2013
Private Consulting Services: 2009-present

The list of related experiences, that only enhanced this woman’s ‘guardianship’:

Registered Nurse multi states licensure
Registered Nurse Certified in gerontology
Certified Social Worker licensed in Wisconsin
Nursing Home Administrator licensed in Wisconsin
Partoll Consulting LLC private Consultant
Expert Witness for Attorney General’s Office, State of Wisconsin
Expert Witness for private law firm, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

When I said this woman was incredible, I hope that you can now see how her passion for education wasn’t about the success she could achieve, but rather how she could help others.

When you look around her home you can feel the love that surrounds you. Pictures of loved ones who have gone before her, trophies of the travels she and Bernie went on, family pictures of ancestors in their homeland that hang on the walls, next to the extended Partoll family throughout the generations.

Even though she had to say a tearful goodbye to ‘Bern’ on September 30, 2018, I have no doubt this lady will be sure to carry the legacy on …

“The important things in life are not things …..” she told me tearfully.

You are absolutely right, June …it’s LOVE.

My thanks go out to June Partoll for sharing her incredible story! You are amazing!

If you know of anyone who would like to share their story, or your own, please contact me at sherbenes@gmail.com.

Our thanks, also, to the sponsors of our Chapter Story: