Philip John June passed away on July 26, 2025 at the age of 76 after a long illness. He was born on November 17, 1948 in Hornell, NY and lived all of his adult live in Tucson, AZ.
Philip was the son of the late Carol and John June of Hornell. He graduated from Hornell High School in 1966 and proudly earned the Eagle Scout award from Boy Scouts of America. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
He was also a graduate of the ROTC program and served as a Captain, USAR SigC, HQ US Army Strategic Communications Command at U.S. Army Fort Huachuca in AZ from 1971 to 1973. Philip was employed as a Senior Project Engineer at Hughes Aircraft from 1974 to 2003.
Philip is survived by 4 siblings, Richard June of Stanton, CA, Kathryn Mutton (Ervin) of Gatesville, TX, David June (Lisa) of San Diego, CA, and Patricia Libordi (Charles) of Hornell, NY. He is also survived by several nephews and nieces.
At an early age, Philip loved anything electrical and spent hours on projects with erector sets, as a ham radio operator, building and flying radio controlled gliders and airplanes. He was a member and active participant in the Sonoma Desert Flying Club.
While he was dubbed “a desert rat” and loved the Arizona climate, Philip never forgot his Hornell roots.
He was often found sitting in front of his computer playing computer games until one day he decided to create a family website with the history of June’s Ice Cream Co. which was the family business from 1896 to 1962 and family memories growing up in a small town. Philip expanded that website to include another passion of his, the history of Hornell and the Erie Railroad.
Mayor Shawn Hogan awarded Philip the key to the city for his work. Philip also used his interest in the family roots, by joining an ancestry site where he did extensive research of the family names and created our family tree. Unfortunately he stopped working on it a few years ago.
Philip is an avid animal lover with several cats, dogs, iguanas, rabbits, chickens, and even a desert tortoise.
Services will be private, and he will receive full military honors.
In memory of Philip, donations can be made to the Hornell Area Humane Society, 7649 Industrial Park Rd, Hornell, NY 14843
