Obituary of Mildred E. Huntington

Mildred E. Huntington Mt. Upton, NY Mildred Emily (Dicks) Huntington, 88, went to be with the Lord on April 16, 2014 at the New York State Veterans Home at Oxford where she had resided since 2005. She was born on March 25, 1926 in Trout Creek, New York, the daughter of the late Clyde and Elma (Wilson) Dicks. On September 6, 1953 in Unadilla, she married Forrest Huntington of Mt. Upton, who predeceased her in 1996. In addition to her parents and her husband, Forrest, Mildred was also predeceased by her two sisters: Zelda Dicks in 1935 and Joanna Constable in 2000; and a daughter Lola Marlene Huntington in 1958. Mildred is survived by two daughters: Gilda Ward (Matthew) of Mt. Upton, and Diane Huntington (William Monroe) of Sherburne: four grandchildren: Ryan Ostrander of Walton; Joshua Ostrander of Sprakers, NY; Adam Ward of Belmont, CA; and Ashley Ostrander of Noblesville, IN; and three great grandchildren: Kaylana Campbell, Olivia and Sophia Ostrander, as well as several nieces and nephews. Mildred grew up in the Walton area until her family moved to Unadilla to work for Chambers and Sons. This gave her ample opportunity to be around lots of horses, which was her real passion. During WW II, Mildred joined the war effort by working for Scintilla in Sidney. In 1950, she received her beautician's license from Triple Cities School of Beauty in Binghamton. She was employed for a time as a hairdresser for Bresee's Department Store in Oneonta. After that, she was employed by Keith Clark of Sidney, until through a mutual friend, she met her husband, Forrest. After marriage, Mildred and her husband ran their family dairy farm located outside of Rockdale. She worked hard helping with the daily farm chores, tending and harvesting a large vegetable garden, and raising two growing girls. Almost all the food she served was homegrown and homemade. In the late fifties, she also worked in her parents' bakery in Unadilla. In the mid-1960's, Mildred was employed as a machine assistant at Keith Clark, while continuing to help run the family farm, as well. She worked at Keith Clark until her retirement in 1991. Just after her retirement, she lived out her lifelong dream of going on a trip to Nashville, TN. After Forrest's death, Mildred sold the family farm and moved to Sidney. In 2003, she became a resident of the Skilled Nursing Facility of The Hospital in Sidney until it closed and then moved to the Oxford Veterans Home where she resided until her death. Mildred was a member of the Church of Christ in Sidney. Mildred and her husband had earlier attended the First Baptist Church in Mt. Upton. Faith in God was a very important part of her daily life. "Millie" was a good friend and listening ear to so many around her. Her legacy of hard work and dedication combined with a loving and caring spirit showed forth God's love to her friends and family and endeared her to so many. She will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her. Friends may call Tuesday, April 22 from 5 to 8 PM at C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, 21 Main St., Sidney. Funeral services will take place at 11:00am on Wednesday, April 23 with Larry Bailey of the Church of Christ of Sidney officiating. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery, Bainbridge. Condolences and memories may be shared with Millie's family online at www.landersfh.com. Arrangements are under the direction of C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, Sidney.