Mildred Ruth Povich

Mildred Ruth (Smith) Povich, of Johnstown, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 4th.
Born on September 15, 1928, in Brownstown, she was preceded in death by her parents, Stephen and Anna ( Kral) Smith, her infant son Danny, and her daughter Pam Koch (Dan). Also, her sisters Betty Lou, Genevieve, (Daniel) Macy, Evelyn Smith, Anna Marie (Leroy) Pfeil and her brothers Stephen, Clement, (Judy), and Donald Smith.
Millie was the last surviving member of her family. Survived by her loving sons, Rick (Sue) and Mark (Marilyn) Povich, her grandchildren Elizabeth (Shahin) Rahmani, Rick (Meghan) Povich, Rebecca Koch, Bradley (Kirsten) Koch, Naomi (Alonzo) Yazzie, Ranee Deechilly, and her great grandchildren Leili, Ilya, and Parsa Rahmani, Eloise Povich, upcoming grandson Graham Povich, who will be born in late November, Cole Koch, Camryn, Hailey, and Hannah Yazzie, and son-in-law Dan (Cyndi) Koch. Additionally, she is survived by many nieces and nephews, as well as great-nieces and great-nephews.
Millie was a proud graduate of Ferndale High School and attended many class reunions into her 90s. Millie also attended Cambria Rowe Business School for business and secretarial classes, and Johnstown Vo-Tech and achieved a Teacher's Aide certificate. Millie worked for the Johnstown Credit Bureau, National Radiator, Weimer, Bennett, Jones & Stibich law firm, and for the Girl Scouts. After moving to Columbus, Ohio in the mid 80s, Millie was hired by Columbus Southern Power. While in Columbus, Millie also helped her daughter Pam and Dan with their newborn twins, Rebecca and Bradley, on weekends. After retiring from Columbus Southern Power, (now American Electric Power), Millie moved back to Johnstown in 1994 and re-entered the workforce. Hired by her friend Mary Flynn through Senior Employment, she worked at the Johnstown American Red Cross and also served as a secretary in the guidance office at Bishop McCort High School, which she loved. Millie was also an auditor for Lower Yoder Township and a long-time poll worker. Millie was a member of St. Clement's funeral choir and a 65-year member of St. Clement Parish, where she faithfully attended church. In her younger years, she also assisted with various activities at St. Clement School. Millie was a former Regent for the Johnstown chapter of Catholic Daughters of the Americas and a long-time member of this group whose members she greatly enjoyed. Millie was blessed with wonderful neighbors who helped her out in so many ways: Shar, Bobby, Rebecca, Angie, Patty, Pat, and Marsha from church, who faithfully brought her Communion each week, and special friends Flo and Dick. Special thanks to Elaine who gave Millie companionship in addition to cleaning for her. Millie loved her family and would do anything for them, and she always said anything done for family was a "Labor of Love." She was an excellent baker, especially at Christmas, and cooked great meals for the holidays, including halushki, stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, and poppyseed cake.
Millie's famous saying was, "I do the best I can with what I've got," and the last few years she changed it to..."I do the best I can with what I've got left." Millie loved her God, her family, and friends, and her simple life of sitting on her porch, working on her puzzle books while enjoying the beauty of nature. She especially enjoyed Roxbury Park walks and wheelchair rides there, and also in her neighborhood where she loved seeing friends and every dog she met. She will forever be missed and deeply cherished. Thank you to the entire Interim Hospice team for their caring support for Millie at home.
The family will receive friends on Friday, Nov. 7th from 4-7 p.m. at Frank Duca Funeral Home, Westmont Chapel, 1622 Menoher Blvd. Johnstown. A funeral Mass will be held on Sat., Nov. 8th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Clement Catholic Church, Father Rosenbaum. Interment will take place at Grandview Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Clement Church or the Humane Society of Cambria County.
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