VALRICO, Fla. — The courts were packed with matches on every court at the River Hills Country Club.

Competition was everywhere, and the people who knew her, said June Rogers would have loved it.

June would have been in the middle the action, but sadly, she lost her battle with colon cancer in September.

Her friends said she didn’t go down without a fight, though. Even while undergoing chemotherapy treatments, June helped her tennis team qualify for the United States Tennis Association Nationals.

“June was a very special person and you don’t run into people like her very often,” said friend Allison Townsend.

To fully understand the impact June had on so many lives, the people who knew her pointed to the filled-to-capacity tennis tournament in her honor as a perfect example. That so many showed up to play tennis for June spoke volumes, Townsend said.

“This is a testament to how special she really was,” she said.

“She’s inspired all these people,” Townsend added. “That’s why we’re out here today to honor her and honor her fight. She fought super hard.”

This tournament was actually June’s idea and was something she planned before she passed away. Her friends said they were merely carrying out her wishes.

“Before she passed, she took us out to dinner and we said is there anything we can do,” Townsend said. “And she said, 'I’m just really, really pissed off I can’t play in my own tournament.'”

There were a couple of things players and spectators wouldn't normally see at a tennis tournament, like an open bar mere feet from the courts. Or the risqué jokes that each participant read before every match, a nod to June’s wicked sense of humor.

But it was the large, inflatable colon that really stood out.

And her friends said that’s exactly what June wanted — to draw attention, in as big a way as possible, to the dangers of colon cancer and the importance of getting checked early, something she didn’t do.

“Her legacy will prevent other people from getting diagnosed,” Dr. Sarah Hoffe said. “And prevent things and be diagnosed at the earliest possible stage so we have all the treatment options that are possible.”

The people around her said June made an impact on every person she ever met, leaving a hand print on their hearts. And even in death, she is making an even bigger impact, Townsend said.

“She was a true friend,” she said. “She wasn’t afraid to tell you the truth, and she had a great sense of humor. We promised her, as a group, that her unfortunate early passing would make a difference in other people’s lives.”

The June Rogers Memorial Tennis Tournament was held in late April.

A Moffitt Cancer Center fund was created for June so people would be able to donate funds in her honor.