In Celebration of a Life Well Lived

I spend a quiet moment before I head off to sleep......to share with you this.....
There was once was a woman who would put my socks and nightgown on the register to warm up on cold winter nights, before I went to bed. She would make scrambled eggs with cheese and crumbled bacon on top for breakfast, if you spent the night - which you most likely ate before you got dressed for church.
She had a collection of ceramic turtles, and of Hummels- which came directly from Germany during the War.
She was funny and silly, and wonderful to be near when you were a child. And when you were an adult as well.
Her own daughter is my mother's best friend, and the only person my mother would let hold me when I was a newborn.

She was, and is in my heart, a grandmother in my life.

Tomorrow they will bury her, and I cannot be there. Distance and finance make it impossible.

But it doesn't really matter. Because I was there for what mattered.

Her life.

My Aunt wrote her one of the best obituaries I've ever read. I hope you read it. And I hope that when I die, someone will take so much care to remember who I was and what I did.


Mildred F. Garrigus Oaks, age 89 of Franklin passed away peacefully with family at her side at 3:10 p.m. on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at the Franklin United Methodist Community. Born April 18, 1919 in Clay County to Lawrence and Ora West Garrigus, she was the 8th of 10 children. Mildred married Merrill G. Oaks in Edinburgh, Indiana on December 29, 1943. They renewed their vows on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1993. She is survived by her husband of sixty-five years, Merrill; daughter Suzie of Richmond; son Stephen (Brenda) of Franklin; grandchildren, Heath, Rachel and Michael of Franklin, and Kyle of Wooster, Ohio; step-granddaughter, Stephanie (Darren) Deeter of Franklin; great-granddaughter, Lillian Marie Oaks and step-great- grandsons, Austin and Bronson Deeter. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Alta Garrigus of Charlotte, North Carolina and twenty-two nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Ralph, Gene, Earl, Arthur and Ernest; and sisters, Lucille, Margaret, Anna May and Lillian. She was a 1937 graduate of Brazil High School and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Butler University in 1941. Mildred taught at IPS from 1941 to January, 1944. She and Merrill lived in Austin, Texas until June, 1944, when he was sent overseas. She returned to Indianapolis and worked in the Butler University Library until February, 1946, when Merrill was discharged from the Army. They moved to Franklin where they resided in their home on Central Avenue for the next sixty-one years. They moved into the Franklin United Methodist Home in October, 2007 where they were lovingly cared for. Mildred retired from Nineveh- Hensley-Jackson School Corporation in 1981 after twenty years of teaching second, third and fourth grades. Mildred was a Cub Scout den mother for three years and a Girl Scout leader and council member for eighteen years. She was a member of Tabernacle Christian Church in Franklin where she taught Sunday School for many years and was an active participant in the Hilltop women's group. She was also a leader for Christian Endeavor and served as a Deaconess and Elder for many years. Mildred and Merrill delivered Meals on Wheels and took audio tapes to church shut-ins which she helped start. Mildred was a former member of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international society of women educators, a member of Indiana State Retired Teachers Association, Johnson County Retired Teachers Association, Girl Scouts of America, Franklin Chapter, No. 439, Order of Eastern Star, Johnson County Democrat Women and Johnson County Shrine Club Ladies Auxiliary. Mildred enjoyed quilting, cooking, reading, and the time spent with friends and family especially her grandchildren. She was a devoted wife and loving mother and grandmother. A service will be conducted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at Flinn and Maguire Funeral Home, 2898 North Morton Street, (U.S. 31 North) in Franklin. Friends may call on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. An Eastern Star service will be conducted on Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m. by the Franklin Eastern Star Chapter No. 439 at the funeral home. Interment will be at Greenlawn Cemetery in Franklin. Memorial contributions may be made to Tabernacle Christian Church, 198 North Water Street, Franklin, Indiana 46131; American Heart Association, 6100 W. 96th Street, Suite 200, Indianapolis, Indiana 46278; Alzheimer's Association, Greater Indiana Chapter, 50 E.l 91st Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 or the charity of donor's choice.

Bye Millie.

We love you.