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CANFIELD -- Mildred Ruth Baker, 91, passed away quietly Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, at Assumption Village in North Lima.
Mildred was born Aug. 1, 1932, to Halbert R. and Mae (George) Bates in Greenville, Pa.
After graduating from Greenville High School in 1950, she moved from the family farm and went on to study nursing at The Meadville School of Nursing, becoming a registered nurse in 1953. Her first nursing job took her to the labor and delivery ward of Akron General Hospital.
Millie moved to the Mahoning Valley after her husband, Tom, was hired as an electrician at General Motors Corp. in Lordstown. After settling her family in Canfield, she continued her passion for helping young mothers at Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren for more than 20 years.
"You either get life or you don't, and if you don't … life gets you." Well, Millie got it. She grabbed life by the tail and shook it, making the most of each and every day.
Millie loved playing cards. With cards in her hand or on a computer screen, she was a shark. Millie attained "Life Master" status at contract bridge and amassed more than 50 royal flushes at video poker, always with five coins in.
Always ready for a new adventure, Millie loved to travel and go on cruises.
Talk about having a song in your heart -- Millie loved to sing and dance. She'd be the first one on the dance floor at every wedding reception or graduation party. Just give her "that old time rock and roll, the kind of music that soothes your soul," her favorite song.
Millie had faith in human nature and that everyone has some good in them. She never met a stranger. She could talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time, and make them feel like they've known each other for years.
Arguably the most popular sports mom in Canfield in the 1970s, she never missed a baseball, football, basketball game or track and cross-country meet. A fixture at Canfield sports, she continued that tradition with her grandsons' sports careers for the past 15 years.
She leaves to cherish her memory, her two sons, William (Kym) of Canfield and Eugene of Phoenix, Arizona; and the two loves of her life, her grandchildren, Brock and Blake. She is also survived by her husband, Jon O'Heren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Edward; and her first husband, Thomas P. Baker.
Per her wishes, there will be no services or calling hours.
There will be a celebration of life at Davidson's Restaurant in Cornersburg, 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. Please send no flowers.
Millie was very generous and charitable. Please consider donating to the children's or animal charity of your choice.
Special thanks to Assumption Village and Hospice of the Valley for their care and compassion. She may have shed her mortal coil, but her spirit, soul and love for her family and friends will live on forever. We are all better for having known her. Mom, you'll be missed.
(special notice)