Mildred F. Phelps

Mildred Frances Phelps was born on September 18, 1929 to Eugene & Hazel Juerling in Richmond, Indiana. At the age of 15, she was in the Civil Air Patrol (WW2) and took her first plane ride. She decided she wanted to be a stewardess, but found out you could be no taller than 5’5” and she was 5’10”! After graduating from Richmond Senior High School, Millie went to work as a secretary at Alcoa. In 1949, she married Sam Phelps, from nearby Centerville, Indiana. In 1962 she and Sam, and their 5 young children, moved to Ft. Lauderdale. She was an incredible homemaker and mother - raising a family in a new town. She loved to sew and could cook up a storm! In 1975 she returned to the workforce as a secretary at Cardinal Gibbons High School. She was a force to be reckoned with in the Dean’s office. After 35 years, she retired at the age of 80. In retirement, she continued with her love of cooking, sewing and reading. She was always up for out-of-town trips involving family events. She was a life-long learner, reading the daily newspaper and watching the news to stay up on current events. Millie was a woman of faith, regularly attending Mass and volunteering at her beloved St. Clement Catholic Church, where she was an active member for 63 years. Her greatest joy was her family, both immediate and extended. Countless family celebrations were held at Millie’s home – the bigger the crowd the better! She was fiercely loved by her family and friends, of which she had many. She was married to the love of her life for 49 years until his death. She was a member of the Ft. Lauderdale Red Devilettes Chapter of the Red Hat Society for over 10 years. Millie stayed active by attending exercise classes and Chair Yoga at the Active Seniors Program through Oakland Park. Despite being legally blind due to Macular Degeneration, she continued to live independently up until her death – a true testament to her incredible strength. She was preceded in death by her husband, Sam, two brothers, Eugene, Jr. & Jim, daughter, Chris and son, David. She is survived by her children: Son-in-law Marty Jenner, Pam (Joe) Hardie, Carol (Mike) Hawkins, & Barbara (Ed) Danson. Grandchildren: Joy (Gerry), Jill (Rick), Joe, Sonya (BJ), Steven, Jennifer, Brooke (Brandon), Sam (Kristyn), Brian & Elizabeth (LT). Great Grandchildren: Jeremy, Kaitlyn, Kyle, Alex, Sarah, Brendan, Sydney, Ryan, Gillian, Bailey, Mason, Niki, Ignatius, Sister-in-law Marguerite Juerling and numerous nieces & nephews. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following charities or a charity of your choice:

Broward County Library Foundation – Talking Books, 100 South Andrews Ave, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

South Florida PBS, 3401 S Congress Ave, Boynton Beach, FL 33426-8499