It is with great sadness and gratefulness for a life well lived that we announce the passing of our mother, grandmother, great grandma, great great grandma and sister, Lucy Mildred Neilson, known to many as Mildred, of Red Deer, Alberta at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at the age of 99 years.
Mildred was born on July 30, 1924, to Victor and Edna Owens, at the family farm in the Lavesta area near Rimbey, Alberta. Growing up on the farm, her fondest memories were of working alongside Uncle Jim. Mildred grew up with the neighbor boy, Jim Neilson, teasing her mercilessly, which somehow changed from the annoying boy down the road into the love of her life. Jim and Mildred were married in 1947 and were inseparable until his passing in 1989. For the first year of their marriage, Mildred and Jim lived in a small trailer moving to each job site. They then tried their hand at farming on the piece of land Jim homesteaded before enlisting in WWII. Farming was not a lucrative proposition in those days, so Jim had to work off the farm. In 1956, with three small sons in tow, they sold the livestock and bought a trailer, so the family could be together. In 1961, they moved the trailer to Red Deer, Alberta, where Jim found work that didn’t involve traveling. Mildred started working at the Red Deer Hospital in September 1961, where she was employed for twenty-one and a half years. In 1969, they bought a bare lot, sight unseen, through an ad in the Calgary newspaper at Killiney Beach, across the lake from Vernon, British Columbia. In July of 1970, they packed up the tent and spent their summer vacation at Killiney Beach working on their cabin. In 1982, they decided to build on to the cabin to make a house for their retirement. They retired and moved permanently to the cabin in March 1983. After Jim passed away in June 1989, Mildred continued living at Killiney Beach until 2004, when she moved to an apartment in Vernon, British Columbia. In 2019, Mildred moved back to Red Deer, where she resided until her passing. One of the greatest joys in Mildred’s life was helping, helping friends and family, or volunteering in her church and community. Rarely front and center, she was usually quietly in the background, working hard. She was a long-time volunteer in many different roles for both the Killiney Beach and the Fintry communities. After moving to Vernon, she volunteered for many years at her senior’s drop-in centre, the Schubert Centre. She sang with the church choir entertaining at local Senior’s residences, rolled bandages for the Red Cross, and was the friend that helped you move, drove you to your medical appointment or helped clean your house. Mildred will be remembered for her never-ending patience, her positive outlook on life and her quiet resolve. A very strong lady of very small stature.
Mildred will be lovingly remembered by her sons and daughters-in-law, Allan and Brenda, Murray and Laura and Neil and Arlene; her grandchildren, Wyatt Neilson, Lisa Dunwoody, Lora Neilson, Nancy Neilson (Pat Longmire), Lee Neilson, Michelle Godin, Shawna (Robin) Pitt and Adam (Michelle) Neilson, her nine great grandchildren and her three great great grandchildren. She will also be sadly missed by her sister, Marion Repas and numerous nieces and nephews. Mildred was predeceased by her husband, Jim; her parents, Victor and Edna Owens; and her sisters, Edith Barbaree and Wilma Foss. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date.
Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed at www.parklandfuneralhome.com

Parkland Funeral Home and Crematorium (Red Deer)

6287 – 67 A Street (Taylor Drive), Red Deer. 403.340.4040.

ONLY LOCALLY FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED FUNERAL HOME/CREMATORIUM

IN THE CITY OF RED DEER

• Date : 2023-10-18
• Location : Locally Family Owned (Red Deer) www.ParklandFuneralHome.com & www.HeartlandFuneralServices.com