Tributes to charity stalwart June who always put others before herself
Tributes have been paid to a Staffordshire businesswoman and charity stalwart who has died at the age of 92.
June Tonge MBE was a generous and passionate supporter of numerous good causes, most notably Katharine House Hospice in Stafford, which she helped to set up and served as patron of.
She was also a successful businesswoman, owning and operating industrial and commercial lettings firm Hixon Airfield Services with her husband, the late Roly Tonge.
She has been remembered as a kind and charming lady who worked tirelessly to support the community in Weston and Hixon.
June was born on the June 14, 1928, on her family’s farm at Sutton on the Hill in Derbyshire.
She married Roly in 1953, and they lived happily together in Staffordshire until Roly's death in March 2017.
June had a lifelong love of farming, and was a society patron of the Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society.
She was also chairman of the dog show at the County Show, a founder member of the Ladies Committee and vice president of the Midlands County Canine Society.
She was devoted to Roly, a former Mayor of Stafford and director of Stafford Rangers.
Paying tribute to June, Richard Williams, chief executive of the Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society, said: "The society and I owe June an enormous debt of gratitude, not just as a benefactor but as a charming lady who always put others before herself."
Richard Soulsby, chief executive of Katharine House Hospice, said: "June Tonge’s support of the hospice will be sorely missed."
June was awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace on December 6, 1994, in recognition of her charitable work and her services to others.
She died peacefully at home in Weston on July 17 and is survived by a wider family. Her funeral took place on August 4 at St Andrew’s Church, Weston.
