Nov. 9, 2020
By Tricia Christiansen, People Lead, Walmart Store 810, Mason City, Iowa
Just keep going. That’s the mantra of 96-year-old associate and Navy veteran Gloria Brasser, better known as “Miss June” to those around her.
Miss June has worked in the apparel department at Store 810 in Mason City, Iowa, for the past 21 years. With almost a century of life experiences behind her, Miss June has no plans of slowing down.
“Maybe when I’m 100, I’ll think about it,” she laughs.
So, keep going, she does. Whether it’s white-water rafting in her 70s, skydiving in her 80s or a hot air balloon ride at age 90, Miss June believes in living life to its fullest and finding joy in all she does.
Even as a young woman, Miss June harbored a sense of adventure—and a love for her country. When volunteers were needed during World War II, a 19-year-old Miss June followed her family’s Navy footsteps and registered for the Navy WAVES—Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services.
“I was only 19, and you had to be 20,” Miss June recalls. “So, my aunt doctored up a Bible with birthdays, because I didn’t have a birth certificate. I had to fudge my age one year to get in.”
With that, Miss June left her home state for the first time. She attended boot camp in New York then traveled to Oklahoma where she trained to be an airplane mechanic.
“I was a dum-dum,” laughs Miss June. “I didn’t choose something I could make a living with. At least not back then.”
