Obituary of Mildred Clark

Mildred (Midge) Edith Clark Obituary Birth: February 12, 1921 Death: October 6, 2014 Mildred Edith Derby was born February 12, 1921 to George and Hilda (Skog) Derby on the Derby Bros., ranch 11 miles north of Kit Carson, Colorado. Mildred (Midge) was the eldest of seven children. Glen, Art, Keith, Goldie, Paul, and Louis were to follow. As a child, there was no lack of work in that large family and she said one of the things that she liked best, was to plant a garden every year and to watch it grow. Growing up with George and Hilda’s brood were the children of Dave and Violette Derby. The six cousins, Allen, LeRoy, Illeta, Arnold Vaille, Violet Edna and Myree were close in years and dear to her heart. Mildred shared many happy days with this large group. She spent her elementary years in the small, one room school house at Mount Pearl and went to Kit Carson for her middle school years and two years of high school. She finished High School, in 1939,at a Christian college in Fort Worth, Texas. She was employed by Montgomery Ward in Denver and during WWII, she made aircraft ammunition. In 1960, Mildred married Douglas Chester Clark in Thornton, CO., and the marriage which did not include children, was later ended. Mildred worked at Mountain Bell Telephone Company for 36 years, most of them in the Denver area, and during the last years, worked as a detective for the Bell Phone Co. In this job it was her responsibility to track down errors in billed calls. Mildred was a joyful, fun-loving soul whose outspoken nature was beloved by her family and friends. She found something good to say about everyone and, even in her last days, she spent many happy hours with her eyes closed as she reminisced about “what a wonderful life it has been.” Mildred had taken several Bible courses by correspondence and knew a great deal about the Scriptures, as evidenced by the well-worn and marked pages in her Bible. She supported DAC, both financially and as a volunteer and her generosity extended to a dozen Christian ministries each month. Mildred crocheted everything from doilies to bedspreads and enjoyed sewing, making many of her own clothes. Every year, until she could no more, she made doll clothes, crocheted doll blankets and “remade” discarded dolls. Hundreds of these dolls were given at Christmas time to needy children. She called the dolls “her kids” and had several memory books filled with photos of her dolls and clothes she had made for them. Over the years, she never lost her “green thumb”. Inside her home year round, she had a dozen potted plants. Outside, during the summer, she had several flowerbeds full of her favorites. She kept a white Peace rose in her yard “For the boys”, she said. Family was important to Mildred and she was the glue that held such a large group of individuals, encompassing several generations, together. For many, many years she was a promoter of the annual Derby Bash, which was near Denver. At age 93, Mildred passed on October 6, 2014 at Wheatridge Manor Care Center, where she had spent the last month of her long, full life. Mildred’s family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the Golden, Denver and Kit Carson communities for the love and support that they have expressed during this time of grief and in the recent weeks. Mildred was preceded in death by her parents George and Hilda Derby; brothers Keith and Glen; sister Goldie Barnes; sister-in-law Barbara, wife of Glen; cousins Allen and his wife Josephine; LeRoy and his wife Naomi; Illeta and her husband Bill Whitesel; Vaille’s mother June; Violet Edna’s husband Dale Hanavan; and Myree and her first husband Dale George. Mildred is survived by a loving family, including brother Arthur (Joanne) Derby of Petaluma, CA; brother Paul (Marie) Derby of Spearfish, SD; brother Louis Derby of Orlando, FL; Sister-in-law Zorka Derby (Keith) of Basalt, CO; cousins Arnold Vaille, Violet Edna Hanavan and George Beard (Myree), as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews A family memorial service will be held at a later date.