Mildred Constable

Mildred Rosella Wyers White Our mother, Mildred, was born March 16, 1923, in Costa Mesa, Calif., and went to be with her Lord and Savior on April 20, 2012, having just celebrated her 89th birthday with family and close friends. She had lived in Corvallis since 1982, but spent her last year in the loving and tender care of Del and Nancy Carter at Butterfly Meadows, an adult foster home in Lebanon, where she passed away. She is survived by her daughter, Lynn “Elly” White, Corvallis; Elly’s son and Mildred’s grandson Marshall White, Mildred’s daughter-in-law Angela White and, and their children, Mildred’s great-granddaughter, Savannah, and great-grandson, Peyton, of Creswell; Mildred’s son Curtis White, daughter-in-law Doris Matthys, and their sons, Mildred’s grandsons Michael and Sean of Tucson, Ariz.; Mildred’s nephew Norm Wyers, his former wife Dianne Wyers, and their children, Peter and Abby, Abby’s husband, David Sage, and their two sons, Forrest and Jasper of Portland; and Mildred’s niece, Karen Melton, and her children, Stephen, Mark, Margaret and Corey of Medford. Mildred was preceded in death by her parents, Marshall and Mamie Wyers; her brothers and their wives, Milton and Margie Wyers, Clifford and Jino Wyers (parents of Norman and Karen), and Bernice and Dorothy Wyers. Mildred was a working single mother since the 1950s, long before that became common. She worked for the American Red Cross in Santa Ana, Calif., from 1953 to 1960; for Southern Oregon College in Ashland from 1961 to 1982; and for Oregon State University from 1982 until her retirement in 1984. Mildred would have told you she was merely a secretary, but in fact she was usually the executive secretary — to the executive director (Red Cross), dean of faculty (SOC) or the department head (Animal Science, OSU)— dealing not only with her boss, but also other faculty, students and the public, and supervising other secretaries. As her last performance appraisal at OSU summarized, “Her even temperament and gracious personality have been an asset to the department.” And yet, when we were children, she always made sure we had a family vacation: Hawaii, Seattle (World’s Fair), Southern California, and many other places. We worried what she would do upon retirement, as it seemed to us she had few hobbies, but her retirement years were the busiest and most rewarding years of her life. She spent countless hours volunteering for Meals on Wheels (on a daily basis), the Church of the Nazarene (two days a week), the OSU Folk Club Thrift Shop (one day a week) and other charitable organizations, all in Corvallis. Mildred was a strong and contributing member of her church in every community in which she lived, attending services, prayer meetings and Bible study groups, and volunteering in ways too numerous to mention. And after she was no longer able to attend the church, her many loving and supporting friends brought the ministry to her. She contributed money on a regular monthly basis to numerous church organizations whose work she strongly supported. She was especially pleased to be able to support the ongoing ministry of her very good friend Karen Bull, who gave back much more to Mildred than Mildred was ever able to give to her. Mildred touched the lives of many, many people, and those who knew her felt truly honored by her friendship. She had a tremendous sense of humor, and loved to laugh and make people laugh. She loved to play games, especially with her grandsons and her great-grandchildren, because it often led to another good laugh. Her letters and cards to us never failed to include a “Frank and Ernest” (or other) cartoon that she had clipped from the paper; it had made her laugh, and she just could not resist the urge to share the joke. Visitation is set for 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, April 27, at McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St., Corvallis, OR 97330. A funeral service and life celebration will begin at noon on Saturday, April 28, at the funeral home. The casket will be open for one hour prior to the service. Pastor Karen Bull will officiate. Mildred would have wanted any memorial donations to go to support Healing Hearts Ministry, in care of McHenry’s. Elly and Curtis White.

Tributes

Mildred Constable

March 16, 1923 - April 20, 2012