June Sampson (“Sam”) Herman passed away on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 after a brief illness.

June was born on June 2, 1922 in Tippecanoe (“Tipp”) City. Her father was Alden Sampson III, originally from Pittsfield, Ma., who landed in Tipp City when he hopped a freight train while still in high school. He went on to become a national race car figure, winning the 1928 Indianapolis 500 with a car he owned.

June graduated from Miami University in Oxford Ohio in 1944, after attending Duke University in North Carolina for her first two years of college.

She promptly left her home town behind and drove out to California with some girlfriends to start a new life. She became a telephone operator with Ma Bell in southern California.

She met and married Bill McDaniel and moved to Menlo Park, Ca., and eventually Los Altos, Ca., where she spent most of her life.

When her children were older, she went back to work for Applied Technology in the finance department, specializing in contracts.

June was a devoted and loving mother, as well as a loyal friend. She had many close friends with whom she shared card games, travel, and a witty sense of humor. June inherited her father’s love of bridge, becoming a lifelong bridge player.

June is survived by her children, Jennifer Blackburn of San Francisco, Ca., Mark McDaniel of Langley, Wa., and Scot McDaniel of Sacramento, Ca.; five grandchildren, Tyler, Marissa, Shelby, Adam and Aaron and many life-long friends in the area.

A memorial will be held at Spangler Mortuary, 399 South San Antonio Road, Los Altos, on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 11 a.m.