Mildred Ethel (McCracken) Andrus was born to Pennsylvania Dutch and Irish immigrants on Jan. 21, 1930, to Byron and Hertha McCracken.
She was the second of five children. Mary, Mildred, Howard, Russell and Robert were all born in a small farmhouse on an acreage near Ashton, Illinois. She passed away Sept. 5, 2023, at the Wilber Care Center. Life was difficult during the great depression era and ensuing dust bowl. The family farm produced enough eggs and produce to barter for staples such as salt, sugar and fabrics. Millie learned every farm chore, including butchering chickens and pigs, milking cows, making butter and mending second-hand clothes. She and her siblings walked to school. It was a one-room K through 12 building, heated only with a potbellied stove. The children also used an outhouse and drank from a hand pump hydrant.
She married Glen Shipert at age 18 and the couple had two children, David and Mary Lou. They divorced after 10 years. During the next several years, Millie had different part-time jobs, including bagging groceries, working at Dairy Queen and eventually managing a roller skating rink in Rochelle, Illinois. She was a natural people person with an outgoing personality and did everything from the concessions stand to building maintenance. During that time, she met a talented young skater, fresh out of the Marine Corps. Within two years, she married Rex Diggs. They had two children, Michael and Donna. An abusive and very difficult marriage ended after 21 years.
Millie started a career at Peterson Manufacturing in DeWitt after moving from Illinois to Nebraska. Quick to make friends, she loved her new job. After 20 years, she retired in 1995. She enjoyed the volunteer work that followed. She volunteered at a local food pantry and ElderCare. They were two of her favorites. Ironically, Millie also spent three days a week visiting residents and helping the nursing staff at the Wilber Care Center. Cooking for family and friends was always a joy for her. Fried potatoes and onions were always a breakfast staple. Her cast iron fried chicken was famous with those who got to enjoy it.
After swearing off men forever, she met Francis Andrus while shopping at a local grocery store. The courtship evolved, became serious, and in 1989, Millie married her life partner. The two were inseparable until his passing in 2022. Millie loved gardening and geraniums. She collected all types of owls; from plastic to wooden to glass, even ones that were clocks. She hated black cats. She was kind and giving and at times had very little filter. Milllie adored her friends and family and will be dearly missed. Her brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews all have a story about Millie, and her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will continue to share all of them.
Millie was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Mary; brother, Russell; daughter, Mary Lou; husband, Francis; and grandson, Zip. She is survived by three children, David, Michael and Donna; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life was conducted Sept. 9. Arrangements by Kuncl Funeral Home.
