General Information
Full Name: June Halper
Date of Death: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
June Halper, MSN, APN-C, FAAN, MSCN, a pioneer in the comprehensive care movement for multiple sclerosis (MS), and an esteemed leader and advocate in the field, passed away on July 24, 2024, at the age of 86, working until her final days. She dedicated her life to the treatment of individuals affected by MS and to the expansion and betterment of the MS health-care community at large.
Ms. Halper’s contributions to MS care were multifaceted and extensive. She was a founder of the MS Center at the Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ in 1985, and was the Executive Director until 2008. She was a founding member of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)—the largest organization of MS healthcare professionals in the world—its president from 1995-1997, and has been the Executive Director/CEO since 1992. She was the founding director and CEO of the International Organization of MS Nurses (IOMSN). In 2002, she spearheaded the establishment of the Multiple Sclerosis International Credentialing Board (MSNICB) that developed the first international certification examination in MS nursing. Her leadership and vision transformed the landscape of MS treatment and support, establishing standards of care that have improved outcomes for countless individuals worldwide.
June Halper published and lectured extensively on MS and its ramifications. Her numerous publications include Comprehensive Nursing Care in Multiple Sclerosis and Advanced Concepts in Nursing Care in Multiple Sclerosis, co-editor of Staying Well with Multiple Sclerosis: A Self-Care Guide, and co-editor of Nursing Practices in Multiple Sclerosis: A Core Curriculum. She chaired the first Multiple Sclerosis Nurse Specialist Consensus Committee’s development of a monograph on the nurse’s role in: adherence to complex protocols; the impact of cognitive impairment; and patient and family quality of life.
She was the recipient of the IOMSN’s first Award for Excellence in Nursing in Multiple Sclerosis, and she was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in November 1999. As Executive Director/CEO of the CMSC, she initiated the first certification examination for multi-disciplinary MS specialists in 2004. In 2010, under her leadership the CMSC was approved by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education as a provider of continuing medical education for physicians.
Beyond her professional achievements, June was known for her compassion, joy of life, boundless generosity, and spirit of adventure, including decades of boating on the Long Island Sound, and observing fourteen total solar eclipses around the globe. She loved music and travel, and, most of all, time spent with her family and friends. Born on June 22, 1938 in the Bronx, NY, she moved to Fair Lawn, NJ with her husband, Morris Halper, M.D. (deceased 2002), and their young children in 1968. June is survived by: three children, Michael Halper, Matthew Halper and wife Bobbi, Julie Halper and husband Ernie Wilson; two grandchildren, Lee and Hallie Wilson; two step-grandchildren, Andrew and Alexa Lasek; sister Carole Fink; and beloved pug, Charles “Little Bear.”
A memorial service to celebrate June Halper’s life and legacy will be held on July 26, 2024, at Louis Suburban Chapel, 13-01 Broadway, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410, at 11:00am. Burial to follow at Cedar Park Cemetery, 735 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652. Colleagues, friends, and those whose lives were touched by June are invited to join in honoring her memory.
Determined to carry on her legacy, in lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the June Halper MS Nursing Scholarship Fund at the Foundation of the CMSC https://www.mscare.org/donations/donate.asp?id=24039.
Shiva will be observed at the home of Julie Halper and Ernie Wilson, 41 Gorga Place, Township of Washington, NJ 07676: Friday 7/26 (after interment) 3-7:30pm; Sunday 7/28, 1-9pm; Monday 7/29, 1-9pm.
Service Information
Friday, July 26, 2024
11:00 AM
Service At:
Louis Suburban Chapel
13-01 Broadway, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
Burial To Follow At:
Cedar Park Cemetery
735 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652
Shiva at the home of:
Julie Halper and Ernie Wilson
41 Gorga Place, Township of Washington, NJ 07676
- Friday 7/26: 3:00pm (after interment) – 7:30pm
- Sunday 7/28: 1-9pm
- Monday 7/29: 1-9pm
We are heartbroken but determined to carry on her legacy. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the June Halper MS Nursing Scholarship Fund at the Foundation of the CMSC.
https://www.mscare.org/
I will miss you!!! I wish I was able to hug you one last time, my Junebug!!!! We are lost right now but all those years of guidance from you will definitely help us find our way. We’ll take care of CMSC as you have taught us. Bye now!
I never got to meet June, but her beautiful and generous daughter Julie is one of my favorite people on the planet and clearly raised by someone wonderful. Sending love to the Halper family as you grieve this terrible loss and navigate the huge void June has left.
A true visionary, June was a mentor and friend to so many of us Nurses involved in MS patient care. Upon meeting her, you have the feeling that you’ve known her your entire life, as she always put others entirely at ease .
May the memory of June be a blessing to her family and all those whose lives she’s touched.
June was more than a boss to me, She helped and did more for me in my times of need throughout my 17 years with the CMSC than family.. I will be forever grateful to her. Love ya June!!!
I’m so lucky and honored to have met June. As a fellow nurse, her visionary leadership and passion for the betterment of MS nursing care is truly inspirational. R.I.P. June, you left a truly remarkable legacy. My thoughts and prayers for the family.
June is a true pillar of strength to her family, friends and colleagues….an MS nurse indeed. A great loss in the MS community! Thank you for patiently explaining the things I don’t know about this field. God bless you June and may your soul rest in peace. 🙏
It was impossible to be in the MS world and not be impacted by June. Ive had the honor of presenting with her a few times.Despite from being different fields (Im a PT) June always made sure to reach out to me. The field of MS care would not be where it is today of not for June. Thank you June for everything. L’Chaim!
When I worked as Programs Director at the local chapter of the National MS Society many years ago June and I often did trainings together. One day we were scheduled to do an in-service training at St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic when she learned she would need to care for her baby grandson that day. Not to be deterred, she decided we should do it anyway. That afternoon we entered the hospital foyer wheeling a carriage and informed them we were doing a staff training. Once in the classroom, I tended and rocked baby while she spoke and vice versa…a successful presentation after all. I always think back to that day with a smile….a great example of June’s attitude and philosophy…’We can do this’!
I met June and 2 of her lovely sons on Eclipse trips in Indonesia and Chile. What a wonderful woman she was! I was travelling alone and she generously included me in some of her excursions and welcomed me at her dinner table. My sincere condolences to her family and friends.
Junebug,
I love and will miss you immensely, forever.
Janine