BURDETTE, Mildred P.

BURDETTE, MCMAHILL, SPRAGUE

Posted By: Tony Mercer (email)
Date: 11/28/2021 at 21:20:24

Mildred P. BURDETTE was called to join the Lord on December 10th after a four year residency at the Mount Ayr Health Care Center.

Mildred was born April 20, 1920 on a small farm north of Osborn, Missouri to Mary and Tom McMAHILL. In later years she was joined by a sister Cynthia, brother Tommy and baby sister Rose.

Mildred was preceded in death by her parents Thomas A. and Mary Creamer McMAHILL, Tommy McMAHILL and Rose SPRAGUE. In 1974 Myron BURDETTE passed away after a long illness.

Mildred is survived by her younger sister Cynthia THOMPSON of Overland Park, Kansas, and her son Skylar and daughter-in-law Mary Jean of Fernley, Nevada. She has two grandchildren, Andrea BURDETTE & her husband Josh FARLOW of Reno, Nevada and Clint BURDETTE & April GEARHART of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Mildred is the proud Great Grandmother of Aodan and Mia FARLOW of Reno, Nevada.

After graduation from Osborn High School, Mildred attended Northwest Missouri State Teacher’s College in Maryville, Missouri in pursuit of degree in elementary education. In 1943 Mildred suspended her education to serve her country as a member of the U.S. Navy as a WAVE. Mildred served in both the Great Lakes Naval Station and in San Diego, California working in documentation of personnel traveling to and from the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 1946 Mildred was honorably discharged from the Navy as a Yeoman Third Class.

After the military Mildred attended college at Colorado University in Boulder, Colorado on the G.I. Bill. While in college in Boulder Mildred met and fell in love with Myron F. Burdette who owned and operated a restaurant near campus. After completing her Bachelor’s Degree at CU, Mildred returned to Iowa and was married to Myron on Feburary 6, 1949. They re-purchased Myron’s 80 acre farm located 4 miles east of Diagonal and began dairy farming.

Farming was a small income so Mildred began teaching as a substitute teacher in Diagonal. Later she took on a full contract in Ringgold County and taught many years in the Tingley school. While at Tingley, Mildred taught every grade except kindergarten. For most her years, she taught 5th and 6th grades. After Tingley Mildred returned to Northwest Missouri State University and took a Master’s Degree in Learning Disabilities. Her final and most productive years of teaching were spent at Clearfield, Iowa serving as a Learning Disabilites Teacher under Federal Grant. Mildred retired from teaching after 42 years.

Mildred was a life long member of the Baptist Church and held many positions with the church administering board. Both before and after retirement Mildred donated time and effort to many local social organizations. She was a member of the VFW and served as a Worthy Matron of Eastern Star.

In Mildred’s golden years she enjoyed traveling extensively with the local VIC Club organized by her friend Ardie WINEMILLER. Those travels helped Mildred complete visits to say that she had seen 48 of the 50 United States. She missed only Rhode Island and Maine. Her greatest tour with the group went to Australia and New Zealand where she was able to pet a Koala Bear and retuned with a true Aussie hat. Her most poignant trip took her to Arlington where she was asked to participate in the placing of the wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. Between her birth on a farm in Missouri to her passing in Mount Ayr, Iowa Mildred lead a long and productive life serving her country and touched many people.

Many of the life time residents of Ringgold County in their thirties, forties and fifties may have spent one year of their elementary education in Mildred’s class. Members of local organizations will reflect and miss Mildred’s hard work and good sense of humor. Above all else Mildred’s family and close friends will miss her good cheer and that special light that she added to the dark moments of life.

Services were held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 14, 2007, Wilson - Watson & Armstrong Funeral Home, 205 W. Monroe Street, Mount Ayr, Iowa. Interment at Benton Cemetery, Benton, Ringgold County, Iowa.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 30, 1985
Mildred BURDETTE will be putting away school books and lesson plans this spring after 28 years of teaching, mostly in the Ringgold county area. She is retiring from working most recently with the learning disabled at Clearfield, grades kindergarten through 12. She has been there for the past seven years.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2012

Ringgold Obituaries maintained by Tony Mercer.
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