MILDRED PAULINE McMAHILL BURDETTE
MILDRED WAS BORN APRIL 20, 1920 ON A SMALL FARM NORTH OF OSBORN, MO., TO MARY AND TOM McMAHILL. IN LATER YEARS SHE WAS JOINED BY A SISTER, CYNTHIA, BROTHER, TOMMY, AND BABY SISTER, ROSE.
AFTER GRADUATION FROM OSBORN HIGH SCHOOL, MILDRED ATTENDED NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE COLLEGE IN MARYVILLE, MO., IN PURSUIT OF A DEGREE IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. IN 1943 MILDRED SUSPENDED HER EDUCATION TO SERVE HER COUNTRY AS A MEMBER OF THE US 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, CO., 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 FEBRUARY 6, 1949. THEY REPURCHASED MYRON’S 80 ACRE FARM LOCATED FOUR 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 FIFTH AND SIXTH 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 IN CLEARFIELD, IOWA SERVING AS A LEARNING DISABILITIES TEACHER UNDER FEDERAL GRANT. MILDRED RETIRED FROM TEACHING AFTER 42 YEARS.
MILDRED WAS A LIFELONG 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 FIFTY 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 RETURNED WITH TRUE AUSSIE HAT. HER MOST IMPORTANT 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 LIFETIME RESIDENTS OF RINGGOLD COUNTY IN THEIR 30’S, 40’S AND 50’S 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.
MILDRED P. BURDETTE WAS CALLED TO JOIN THE LORD ON DECEMBER 10 AFTER A FOUR YEAR RESIDENCY AT THE MOUNT AYR HEALTH CARE CENTER.
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, KS., HER SON, SKYLAR, AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, MARY JEAN OF FERNLEY, NEVADA; TWO GRANDCHILDREN, ANDREA BURDETTE AND HER HUSBAND, JOSH FARLOW, OF RENO, NV., AND CLINT BURDETTE AND APRIL GEARHAR OF KLAMATH FALLS, OR., AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, AODAN AND MIA FARLOW OF RENO, NV.
SERVICES WERE CONDUCTED AT WILSON-WATSON & ARMSTRONG FUNERAL HOME IN MOUNT AYR ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2007 AT 10:30 A.M. WITH REV. MIKE MADDY OFFICIATING. EASTERN STAR SERVICES WERE HELD BY MOUNT AYR CHAPTER 356. MUSICIANS WERE NANCY SACKETT, EDNA JONES, AND NEVA FISHER.
CASKET BEARERS WERE ROY DAVENPORT, JIM WERNER, JOHN STEPHENS, JOHN WHITTINGTON, TERRY HOWIE, AND BOB WEEHLER.
MILITARY RITES WERE CONDUCTED BY AMERICAN LEGION RINGGOLD POST #172.
MILDRED WAS LAID TO REST IN THE BENTON CEMETERY IN BENTON.
