June Hull Esperson was born July 7, 1929 in Ipswich, Massachusetts to Ann Buffett Hull and banker, and eventually printer, Stanley Adams Hull. Her first home was on Nabby's Point approximately 100 yards from where her paternal Grandfather Thomas Hardy built the first post and beam house in Ipswich in 1633. His ancient well remains to this day, however sealed to the public.
June Hull had three beloved siblings; Amy (Carter) born 1924; Stanley Adams Hull Jr born 1926; and Anne (Benedix) born 1933 in Ipswich.
They were a politically active family whose ancestors served in the American Revolution; the Civil War (Lt. Edward Hull); and the War of 1812 (Capt. Issac Hull). They were children and grandchildren of Massachusetts State Senators Charles Gilbert Hull and Poet - Politican Edward Gilbert Hull, who represented Ipswich and Essex County in the Massachusetts House sporadically from the 1880's to 1922.
From early childhood June loved the beach and swimming. She spent summers at the Naragansett, her Grandfather's beach cottage on Little Neck in Ipswich. As the family grew, June's parents rented cottages on "the Neck" each summer. June became a strong swimmer, but never learned to dive. She perfected the belly flop. Until her passing she remained a daily swimmer with a romantic love of the ocean.
In 1947, June married pilot Donald Lindbergh Bugden. Theirs was a brief marriage - likely a function of marrying too young. In 1950, she married a second time to Harold (Harry) Eliot Esperson Jr of Hamilton, MA. Their eventful courtship lasted three years during which Harry went to college and June opened a women's clothing shop in Ipswich with her sister Ann.
June and Harry spent the better part of the next decade on diffferent continents. He joined the Air Force Office of Special Investigation (OSI) which took him to Japan, South Korea, and the Philippine Islands for extended periods.
During Harry's absence, June designed and had built a new house adjacent to her childhood home on Nabby's Point. Her beloved Mom and Dad built their home to the left, and her closest friends Norman and Francis Greenberg (her son's eventual Godparents) built to the right. It was a time for love and laughter.
In 1960, June gave birth to a son (Thomas), and in 1963 to a beautiful blond daughter (Jackie). Thomas (Tom) grew up bouncing off the waves of Ipswich Bay in his Boston Whaler. Though a reluctant student, he graduated from Bentley College and Harvard Business School. He married twice though does not have children. He resides in Seattle.
Daughter Jackie married Thomas Anderson in 1985. In 1986, Jackie gave birth to an adorable blond girl called Katelyn who rapidly became Grandmother June's "pride and joy." Kristopher followed in 1989, and Thomas Jeffrey was born shortly thereafter. Jackie, Tom and her sons reside in New Hampshire. Katelyn is now a young adult with a gifted daughter of her own, Gemma Hull. They reside in Mount Pleasant, SC.
So how does one summarize a life as meaningful as June's in one paragraph?
June Hull Esperson was a courageous, warm, intelligent woman of striking beauty. She is perhaps most remembered for her crooked smile and spontaneous wit. As her son, now past 60, I think of Mom daily and how much I'd love to enjoy coffee with her one final time. At the date of this writing Mom has been gone nineteen years.
I think of Mom each time I see a Magnolia tree in bloom, or recall years of fun on the beach at Little Neck. I can see Mom throwing snowballs during a blizzard on her front lawn, with her beloved Siamese cat at her side. I appreciate the years of career counseling, her unfailing humor and unequivocal love. Today, I see and hear my Mother in the broad smile and quick wit of her granddaughter Kate and great granddaughter Gemma, who are my Godchildren and my “pride and joy.”
Mom is interned at Southside Cemetery in Ipswich. Her black granite headstone is surrounded by stately monuments, however in some way and for some reason Mom's stone seems to "pop" on the landscape, catching the eye of all who visit the ancient cemetery. As appropriate.