June Rogers Continues to Inspire

Born Prapis Tunuttitum on September 29, 1964, she immigrated along with her family to the United States at the age of nine from Thailand. In 1978, she proudly became a naturalized citizen of the US and officially changed her name to June Rogers.

After graduating from East Bay High School, she went on to become a flight attendant from 1987-1991. She subsequently enrolled in the University of South Florida, and in 1994, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the college of Business Administration.

On February 17th, 1998, she married her soulmate, Brian Smith, and together they raised their son Jackson.

Putting her degree to work, she became a manager with the Outback Restaurant Group in both Florida and Georgia. In 1998, she and Brian fulfilled their dream of opening their own restaurant, Simply Thai in Brandon, FL, which flourished until it sold in 2010.

June continued to work until 2019, despite her grave diagnosis.  That same year, she gratefully visited the country of her birth for the first time since her emigration.  

Tennis continued to be a passion and distraction from her solemn situation.  She courageously fought her battle with colon cancer and never gave up. She played and won many tennis matches while receiving chemotherapy. No one would have guessed she was truly in the battle of her life.

June succumbed to her illness at her home in Valrico and surrounded by her loving family on September 14th, 2021.

She is survived by her husband Brian, son Jackson, her parents Curtis and Puntip Rogers, her sisters, Jane Tunuttitum and Judy Lenczyk, and her brother Jim Rogers. She will also be missed by her teammates, opponents, and the entire tennis community. Her sportsmanship, generosity, and sense of humor will also be sorely missed.

The legacy of June Rogers will be the perseverance, dedication, and tenacity she brought to every situation she faced. June will be sorely missed by all those who loved her, and through the June Rogers Foundation for Colon Cancer Research, she will live on and continue to touch many lives.

The JRF has partnered with Moffitt Cancer Center to be the recipient of the proceeds from The Fight Like June Event. The Moffitt Foundation has established the June Rogers Colon Cancer Research Fund. All proceeds from the event will be directed entirely to this fund in support of colorectal cancer research projects selected by the JRF. The fund will solely support the gastrointestinal oncology program at Moffitt, with oversight provided by program chair, Dr. Jason Fleming. 

Thank you in advance for supporting this important initiative that is attempting to discover ways to potentially extend and save the lives of colorectal cancer patients.

Sincerely,

The June Rogers Foundation for Colon Cancer Research