Mildred Simon, 95, passed away October 3, 2022, at Avera Oahe Manor in Gettysburg, SD. Anyone who knew Mildred will agree the Gates of Heaven swung wide open upon her arrival.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, October 10, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gettysburg, with Father Brian Simon presiding. Burial will follow in St. Anthony’s Catholic Cemetery, Hoven. A wake service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Sunday, October 9, 2022, at the church with visitation one-hour prior.

Mildred Louise Cooper was born February 22, 1927, in Lebanon, SD, the youngest child of Louis and Mary (Schumacher) Cooper. She graduated from Lebanon High School in 1945, the valedictorian of her class. She married Clement Patrick Simon on April 10, 1947. To this union, six children were born, five girls and a boy. In the early years, the family lived in Canistota, where they operated the local movie theatre. Later, they moved to Lebanon, where the family farmed land just north and east of town.

Mildred’s life changed forever on July 14, 1966, when she suffered a crippling stroke while driving a milk and egg route for Rosenau Grocery. She was a left-handed person, and the stroke paralyzed her left arm and impaired her ability to walk. But with young children to raise, Mildred persevered. She re-learned how to speak and learned what she needed to do with her one good arm. Mildred could even thread a needle to sew, something which she loved to do.

Life threw Mildred another harsh blow in 1972 when her husband Clem died in a car crash, leaving her a single mother with two children still in elementary school. Her disability prevented her from working, but she managed to feed and clothe the kids on her meager Social Security income. The family lived in rental housing in Gettysburg until 1977, when Mildred bought a house in Lebanon from proceeds of the sale of the family farm.

After the children completed high school and left home, Mildred continued to live alone in Lebanon, eventually moving out of the house into one of Baum’s apartments. From there she moved to an assisted-living apartment in Gettysburg to be closer to two of her daughters who lived there. Life dealt Mildred perhaps its cruelest blow with the onset of dementia as she reached her 70s. As it sapped her ability to live independently, she moved to the manor where she spent her remaining years.

Mildred loved her pets, and enjoyed cooking, sewing, gardening, and canning. She will be remembered by those who knew her for her tenacity and good humor, despite the difficult hand that life dealt to her.

She is survived by daughters: Penny (Brendan) Baus of Gettysburg, Jacqueline (Rich) Hansen of Gettysburg, Susan (Dan) Combs of Peyton, Colorado, Rebecca (Les) Hansen, Centennial, Colorado; son, Geoffrey (Beth) Simon, Bismarck, North Dakota; son-in-law Herb Wager, Castle Rock, Colorado; 15 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren.

Mildred was preceded in death by her husband, Clem; daughter, Judy Wager; grandson, Denem; and siblings: Ann, Clarence, Paul, and Loretta.

Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Mildred’s arrangements.

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