June Rackley Candler

June Rackley Candler

May 10, 1933 - September 13, 2026

June Rackley Candler, 93, of Atlanta, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday,

September 13, 2026. She was born May 10, 1933, in Thomasville, Georgia, to Dr.

Henry Perry "H.P." Rackley and Vallie Rhae Lindsey Rackley.

June grew up in Thomasville, where she graduated from Thomasville High School and

was named the Thomasville Rose Queen of 1951 - an honor that earned her a

photograph in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As a young girl, she spent her summers

in Kissimmee, Florida, working as a wrangler on a family friend's ranch. Her riding

ended when a horse fell on her, but her love of horses never did. She also spent

summers at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a place she continued to spend time the rest

of her life.

She went on to attend the University of Georgia, where she was President of Chi

Omega sorority. During this time, June met her future husband, Asa Griggs Candler V,

while he was stationed in Bainbridge, Georgia with the Air Force. The two married in

1954 and were together for 67 years until his death in 2021. They made their home in

Atlanta and raised three sons - Asa VI, Dick, and Bill.

June was a member of the Junior League of Atlanta and volunteered with the Atlanta

Opera. She was a longtime member of Northside United Methodist Church. She and

Asa flew small airplanes all over, from California to the Dominican Republic, and their

travels brought them lifelong friendships in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and

California. June earned her own private pilot's license and took her youngest son, Bill,

along on cross-country check flights. She thought it was a good idea to know how to

land an airplane, just in case.

June had a love of cowboys and the West, and her home was filled with paintings and

artwork of both, alongside the antiques she collected with a discerning eye. She had a

gift for creating beautiful spaces, and she brought that same eye to her personal style.

Always impeccably put together, most days she looked as though she'd stepped out of

a Ralph Lauren campaign. At June's house, a radio was always turned on to country

music, and come evening, she loved settling in with a Western or Whodunit show. After

dinner, there was always something sweet waiting in the kitchen, and she happily

traveled to bakeries across the Southeast to pick up her favorite layer cakes. She spoke

with a beautiful Southern lilt and carried herself with grace.

Above all, her greatest joy was her family. She was blessed to see her children grow

and marry, and to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who

affectionately called her "Junebug."

She is survived by her son, Richard "Dick" Candler (Patty); her daughter-in-law, Linda

Candler; her grandchildren, Asa Griggs Candler VII (Gaylie), Callan Candler Adams

(Childers), Daniel Candler, William "Willie" Candler, and Vallie Candler; and her great-

grandchildren, Asa Griggs Candler VIII, Bayne, Collins, and Catherine.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Asa Griggs Candler V; her

sons, Asa Griggs Candler VI and William "Bill" Rackley Candler; her daughter-in-law,

Paulette Candler; her grandson, Noble Candler; her parents, Dr. H.P. Rackley and Vallie

Rhae Lindsey Rackley; her brother, James "Jim" Rackley (Anne); and her sister, Joyce

Overton. She died on Bill's birthday.

The family will announce plans for a memorial service in the coming weeks.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Northside United Methodist

• Church or the Chastain Park Conservancy.