Obituary of Mildred Cecelia Cole

Born April 2, 1925, Millie, as she was affectionately called, passed away peacefully at home July 7, 2018, at the age of 93. She was born in Florida, raised in North Dakota, went to high school in Wisconsin and then moved to Washington with her mother and siblings. She, her mother and one younger sister worked in the ship yards during WWII. After the war, she worked as a typist at the Naval Air Station. She met her husband, John C. Cole in 1948 and they married March 18, 1949. They moved to Ephrata, WA, where they started their family, Debbi, John Jr., David and Richard. When John's job took the family to England and then Germany, Millie enjoyed many wonderful trips-her favorite to the Holy Land. The family transferred to Beale AFB in 1970 and lived in Marysville for 48 years. Even after retirement Millie loved to travel and her children and grandchildren included her in a number of memorable adventures. Millie was a deeply spiritual woman who loved her Lord and lived to serve. She was a founding member of Shepherd of the Valley Church, served her fellow seniors at the Marysville Adult Activity Center and selflessly cared for her son, David after he suffered brain damage from a heart attack. Millie is preceded in death by her husband, John; son, David; brothers, John and Bernell. She is survived by her sisters Dorothy and Carol; daughter, Debbi (Mike) Selby of AZ; sons, John Jr. (Chan) Cole of WA, Richard Cole of Live Oak; and daughter-in-law, Lisa Cole of Yuba City. She is also survived by grandchildren: Heather (Dennis) Terpelle, Dustin (Lacey) Newlove, Jonathan Newlove, Daniel (Dannielle) Selby, Kara (Travis) Hays, Hung (Connie) Ly, Bobby (Vivian) Ly, Adam Cole, Kevin Cole, Michelle Cole, Matthew (Fallyn) Cole, Jamie Cole, Toni Cole, Katie Cole and 24 great-grandchildren. Those who were fortunate enough to know Millie will forever cherish her grace, humility and charitable nature. She was kind and non-judgmental. She took a genuine interest in others and remained socially active and positive until the very end. Special love to granddaughter Heather Terpelle, her husband Dennis and their children Riley, Owen, Mark and Marley who devotedly cared for "Granny" for the last 22 years. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, July 14, 2018, at 11AM at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 1302 Hooper Rd., Yuba City with a reception following at her home.