Amy Martha Juni

Amy Martha Juni
July 27, 1928 • December 21, 2024

Amy Martha Juni, of Jordan, Minnesota passed away surrounded by family December 21, 2024, at the age of 96. She was a wonderful woman who “loved hard” and was the beloved center of her family.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held Friday, December 27, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (104 First Street West) in Jordan. Amy’s grandson, Joel Juni, will preside. Amy’s grandchildren and sons-in-law will act as pallbearers, and Amy will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband at Spirit Hill Cemetery in Jordan.
July 27, 1928, Amy Martha Leibbrand was the youngest of the three children born to Arthur and Elsie (Will) Leibbrand. Amy loved growing up on the family farm in St. Lawrence Township with her siblings, Wilbur and Faye. From a young age, Amy developed a strong work ethic and an immense love for animals. They had all the typical farm animals, along with horses and a pet deer.
Amy attended a small country school and graduated from Jordan High School in 1946. Following graduation, Amy attended nursing school at Hamline University. Even before graduating, she had lined up her first job as a clinical instructor at the school. Amy was proud of the fact that she never had to interview for a job!
During this time, Amy reconnected with a friend from Jordan, Robert “Bud” Juni. The two had initially met as young teens, and reconnected when Robert returned home from the Korean War. Their love quickly grew, and they were married August 21, 1955. The couple settled in Mankato while Robert was attending school on the GI Bill. Amy worked as an instructor in the nursing program at Mankato State University.
While in Mankato, they started a family. After Robert graduated, they became administrators of Highland Manor Nursing Home in New Ulm. They quickly learned that they loved the work and decided to build their own 110-bed skilled nursing facility in Benson, Minnesota, which they operated until 1982.
In their free time, the family took lots of road trips and camping trips in the family Winnebago. They even took a family road trip across France, Switzerland and Germany with Robert behind the wheel of a red VW bus, making many wonderful memories along the way.
After selling the nursing home, Amy and Robert bought and ran an 18-unit apartment building in Willmar. They loved being close to their grandkids and many family friends. In “retirement” Amy was able to enjoy some of her favorite hobbies. She was a dedicated follower of Minnesota sports and the news. Amy loved playing games- Scrabble, dominoes, Yahtzee, puzzles and casino slots. She also enjoyed family travel to a variety of destinations, including Alaska, Hawaii, Italy, UK, Hungary, Branson, Nashville, Arizona, and Disney World with the grandkids!
Amy was a generous, kind, smart and truly selfless woman. She gave the best hugs and family was everything to her. She will be missed by all who loved her. She is survived by her loving daughters, Carol (Greg) Buckingham and Robin (David Miller) Juni; grandchildren: Carly Buckingham, Alexa (Kaleb Parker) Buckingham, Joel (Jennifer) Juni, Jonathan (Anna) Juni; great-grandsons: Andrew and Cason; sister, Faye Leibbrand; sister-in-law, Eleanor Leibbrand; many beloved family pets; other loving relatives and dear friends.
Amy was greeted in Heaven by her husband, Robert Juni; son, Thomas Juni; stillborn daughter, Rebecca Juni; parents, Arthur and Elsie Leibbrand; brother, Wilbur Leibbrand; brother-in-law, Ralph Pasquarrette; dear family friend, Alice Polzin; and her 20-year-old Shih Tzu Brooke.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation proudly serves the Juni family. www.BallardSunderFuneral.com