Obituary: June A. Loesch, Former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, Dies at 94

Died: August 23, 2016

Visitation: Thursday, August 25 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Fredrick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home on 200 East Main Street in East Islip.

Service: Friday, August 26 starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Fredrick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home.

Obituary: June A. Loesch, a former Gae Foster Roxyette, Radio City Music Hall Rockette and co-owner of the June Claire Dance Center with four locations on Long Island, passed away on Tuesday. She was 94.

The East Islip resident was born on July 25, 1922 in Queens. She began her dance training at the Dorothy Kaiser School of Dance in New Jersey.

After graduating from John Adams High School, she auditioned for and was accepted as a Gae Foster Roxyette.

A few years later, she left the Roxy Theater and danced as a Radio City Rockette until she got married in the 1945 to military officer George Loesch.

Loesch found herself travelling to different parts of the country as well as the world. Everywhere she and her husband were stationed, she taught dance to the children of the officers on base.

Eventually she decided to come back to New York and open, what she would later term, a "little" dancing school. With the help of real estate agent and childhood friend Claire Muller, Loesch secured a piece of property at 449 Hempstead Avenue in West Hempstead, where she taught tap dancing, her forte and true love, in an after school program.

On September 5, 1953 the "June Claire School of Dance" officially grew. As the enrollment and popularity of the school grew and more locations were established. The North Babylon center became the second location for the June Claire School of Dance in September 1965, followed by a branch in Hauppauge in 1969, which later relocated to Smithtown, and finally Patchogue (now Holbrook) in 1979.

In 1978, former Rockette and June Taylor Dancer, Lynda Gache became the third partner of the thriving June Claire Dance Center.

Thousands of students have studied through the June Claire Dance Center, with many becoming professional dancers, teachers and choreographers.

When asked a few years back by former dance colleagues why she wouldn't retire and move to Florida, June emphatically stated, "Why should I? Being around young people keeps me young."

In addition to her business partner and friend, Gache, Loesch is survived by her niece Betty Paul and her husband Max of Merrick, many great nieces and nephews and her precious "Dolly and Daisy".

She was predeceased by her parents, William and Barbara Annacherico, former business partner Muller, her former husband, and her beloved "Roxy and Lulu".

Interment will take place at the St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Make-A-Wish America Gift Processing, 4742 North 24th Street, Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85016.

Photo and info via Fredrick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home