Mildred DUCKSON

1917 - 2019

DUCKSON, Mildred 101, a long-time resident of Dayton, Ohio, Mildred was born on 12/24/1917.The first daughter of Ellis and Elsie Magill, Mildred passed away on 2/19/2019 after a short illness. Preceded in death by her loving husband, Webster Duckson, her sisters Gladys DeMichael, Marjorie Bixler, and Verna Jean Martin, and her beloved nephew, whom she raised as her own son, John Lanum. Survived by sister Edna Duckson, nephews Lawrence and Richard Lanum, nieces Carol Ann Duckson, Bonnie Izer, and Debbie Milikin, her dog Princess, and a host of other family members, friends and neighbors. Mildred graduated from Kiser High School, where she played violin in the orchestra for the well-known instructor John Ritter. Her sister, Edna, helped her to obtain a demanding clerical position at Dayton Rubber Company, where she worked for over ten years. Married to Webster Duckson for more than fifty years, Mildred was a loving wife and a wonderful mother to her sister Marjorie's three boys, Johnny, Larry and Richard Lanum. Mildred was an avid fisherman, and for many years she went to Rice Lake, Canada with her husband Webster and her three little boys, where they all caught perch and walleyes by the boatload. In her youth Mildred cooked in several private homes and a diner in New Jersey and was the world's best home cook, known for her numerous fish fries and her delicious crumb pies, the latter of which she made from scratch. Mildred was born in an era where people plowed their fields with horses and kept their perishables in "spring houses". Her first car was a Ford Model T. On VE Day her elderly employer took her into New York City for dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, which at the time was one of the world's finest hotels. Mildred also spent VJ Day in New York City, though I understand she was not the woman in the infamous kissing picture. Mildred watched on TV as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, and she saw the coming of the personal computer and the Internet. She had a full life and was a truly wonderful person. She will be missed. Funeral service 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 at the GEORGE C. MARTIN FUNERAL HOME, "Northridge Chapel," 5040 Frederick Pike at Needmore Road. Pastor Tim Hamilton, officiating. Interment Valley View Memorial Gardens, Xenia. The family will receive friends Wednesday 12 noon, prior to the service, at the George C. Martin Funeral Home. Condolences can be shared at www.georgecmartinfuneralhome.com.