June Mulhall, founder of C. June Shoes at Ward Warehouse, died peacefully in her sleep overnight Sunday. She was 76.
A breast cancer and stomach tumor survivor, "she was tough as nails," said her daughter Yvonne West Palma, who arrived from California earlier this week, as did Palma’s sister, sister Rushelle West-Vasak.
However, she had "heart issues she didn’t tell anybody about," Palma added.
Their brother Guy West helped his mother in the store and would bring in meals, as they were the only two employees in recent months.
In May, Mulhall announced plans to sell the store and retire, but with only two years remaining on the lease, no deals have come to fruition.
At the time, Agnes Ho, Mulhall’s friend and tennis partner, said, "Ask any woman if she has heard of C. June Shoes and I think they will answer yes."
The "C." in C. June Shoes was not an initial for part of Mulhall’s given name. Rather, the C "stands for ‘see June for your shoes,’" she told the Star-Advertiser in May.
People who did see June included infamous shoe-shopper and Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, and couples staying at the then-Kahala Hilton who bought a combined total of $20,000 in shoes one night.
A wealthy Saudi Arabian client had Mulhall bring a selection of shoes personally to choose from at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, she said.
Part of the reason for the store’s continued popularity over 33 years was the KSSK-FM 92.3/AM 590 Saturday morning show, as Sweetie Pacarro, producer and on-air personality, would model shoes during live broadcasts of the "Perry & Price Show" from the Hanohano Room, John Dominis, and so forth, for at least 15 years, if not longer.
"I have a whole display of shoes," Pacarro said.
In addition to complimentary shoes she received through the promotional deal, Pacarro for years bought shoes, purses and other accessories at the store for family, friends and herself.
Even before the advertising arrangement, though, "we were going to C. June since high school, because my sister shopped there, too," she said.
Pacarro attended school with West-Vasak and Palma at Star of the Sea, and Mulhall’s son Guy West was Pacarro’s husband’s classmate.
For many Hawaii women and girls, upcoming special occasions meant "you go to Callista’s (next door, for a dress) and then to C. June’s" for shoes to match, Pacarro noted.
"You couldn’t walk by her store without going in, even if just to say ‘hi,’ and then, two pairs of shoes later …" she laughed.
Mulhall "really knew her clientele," Pacarro said, noting the times Mulhall told her of a buying trip she’d been on and telling her, "I thought of you when I saw this pair," something she often did for regular customers.
While West saw his mother daily, Mulhall’s daughters spoke with or exchanged texts with their mother multiple times each day, Palma said.
Despite their geographical separation, "It was like she lived 20 minutes away," she said.
At the same time, Mulhall’s grown children are wondering "who do you talk to when you lose your best friend. … We’re glad she went to sleep and had a great dream and didn’t wake up," Palma said. "She never would have put up with tubes or a hospital."
Mulhall was preceded in death by her husband, Lyle, in 1985, and is survived by three children and five grandchildren.
Her ashes will be scattered during a private family ceremony, and there will be a by-invitation celebration of life at her Kahala home.
"She’d want everybody to have a cocktail wearing some crazy aloha outfit, to say, ‘June, we love you and will miss drinking with you. We’re glad you’re resting in peace,’" Palma said.
C. June Shoes at Ward Warehouse is open for business, as required under its lease.
"She’ll have the best pair of shoes in heaven," Pacarro said.
