When the world came to a stop in 2020, June Sayer kept moving.
Within weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, the popular Coquitlam fitness instructor had set up in her garage and was hosting online exercise classes. “It grew to a point where people were saying, ‘You’ve got to charge us for this,’ but really she wanted to do it for her own purpose, to keep people engaged, motivated and fit,” says June’s husband, Tim.
In February 2022, in-person fitness classes had only just resumed and June was happy to be back at work when Tim received an alarming phone call from her. “She was pulled up on the side of the road and she couldn’t drive as she was in immense pain.”
After discovering a large tumour on June’s fallopian tube, she was eventually diagnosed with an aggressive ovarian cancer. June faced the disease the way she knew best, by staying active and encouraging others to do the same while fundraising through Workout to Conquer Cancer.
“Remember movement is medicine for our body, minds and soul,” she said in an April 2022 Instagram post asking people to join her team, Juney’s Loonies.
‘Loonies’ could have been a nod to June’s adopted country’s currency — she and Tim moved their three daughters, Gemma, Abigail and Danielle, to B.C. from England in 2009 after falling in love with Canada’s outdoorsy lifestyle — but Tim is quick to correct this.
“It’s more ‘looney’ in the British sense, as in Looney tunes … slightly off centre,” he laughs. It was one of June’s many nicknames as she was, by her own admission, “a little bit strange, a little bit mad,” in the way that all the most interesting and fun people are.
After moving every day in May and raising $13,250 for the BC Cancer Foundation, June continued treatment — buoyed by exercise and the birth of her first grandchild.
June (middle) surrounded by her family.
True to her nature, she stayed positive over the next year, posting weekly updates about her cancer journey and her beloved “FamJam” on Instagram. Always accompanied by a picture of her smiling face and often with an inspirational quote — “Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day,” — or silly jokes such as, “I grew up with Johnny Cash, Bob Hope and Steve Jobs. Today we have no Cash, no Hope and no Jobs. Please don’t let anything happen to Kevin Bacon!”
The vulnerable, heartfelt posts were an outlet for her, says Tim, but also intended to lift others up, with regular reminders to hug, smile — and, of course, move your body — as much as possible!
“Before moving from England, my mom wasn’t in the fitness industry at all,” says Gemma. June stayed home while the girls, who were 15 and 16 years old at the time, got settled in Canada. And then once they left home, she decided to do something for herself.
She found empowerment in a career that encouraged others to live their best lives when, in her late 40s, she became certified as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. “Her classes would be full every single time — everybody wanted to go to June’s classes,” says Tim.
Despite her deteriorating health, June participated in Workout to Conquer Cancer again in May 2023, managing short walks with Tim, family and friends, during which she was thrilled to welcome a second grandchild.
In one of her final Instagram posts in July, a home-bound June wrote: “I have had a fab weekend, as been out kayaking and paddle boarding … NOT … it’s all but a dream. All the things that I was able to do a few months ago, have been taken away.”
June passed away in August 2023 at 57 years old. Her family continues to honour her legacy by living the lifestyle she once led and being active on a daily basis. Led by Gemma, Juney’s Loonies is taking part in Workout Conquer Cancer again this year in June’s memory and inspired by her goal of raising funds to help other people facing cancer.
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