Mildred M. Fleming
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| January 19, 1914 ~
January 1, 2012 |
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January 13, 2011 |
 Mildred
M. Fleming, 97, passed away on January 1, 2012,
in Kent, Washington. Funeral services will be
held on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at 9:00am in
the Bonners Ferry Funeral Home in Bonners Ferry,
Idaho.
Mildred M Fleming passed away quietly in her
sleep on January 1, 2012, in Kent, Washington,
near the home of her son, Barry Fleming.
Born January 19, 1914, in Coleman, South Dakota,
Mildred spent her early years in rural areas
around Coleman with her parents (Della and Paul
Peterson), two older sisters, one older brother
and one younger sister. For her last year of
high school, she moved to Heron, Montana, to
live with an aunt and uncle of whom she always
spoke fondly.
There she met and married Ralph Fleming in 1934.
Together, they worked for some years in the
Fleming family huckleberry business that shipped
to customers as far away as New Hampshire. From
Heron, they moved to Camp Roberts, California,
and Mildred worked as a civilian in the base
medical supply while Ralph served in the U.S.
Army Air Corps. From Camp Roberts, they
relocated to Sandpoint, and in 1943 moved to
Bonners Ferry, where they lived, worked and
raised their two children, Barry now of Seattle
and Linda Fujimoto of Hawaii. She remained in
Bonners Ferry until shortly before her death.
They started an auto dealership in Bonners Ferry
and worked there together until the time of its
closure. Following that and the couple’s
separation, Mildred worked as medical office
manager, first for Dr. Coram and subsequently
for Dr. Crooks and Dr. Hill. She also held a
position in the Boundary County Treasurer’s
office for a short time during these years.
Mildred was very much an outdoor person who
enjoyed cookouts, camping, archery, hiking,
photography and gardening. These pleasures
continued even after macular degeneration robbed
her of most of her vision in later years. She
also shared these activities with Dale Sargent,
the man she met and called “my best friend for
life.” That relationship lasted for nearly 50
years, until he passed away in July of 2011.
Although her sight had been drastically reduced
for more than a decade, the highlight of the
winter season for Mildred was to decorate the
tall blue spruce in her front yard with
thousands of tiny colored lights, which the
whole community of Bonners Ferry enjoyed. She
often referred to it as her Living Christmas
Tree or Gum Drop Tree. Also, the row of burning
bushes in front of her house was her pride and
joy. She remained in her Bonners Ferry
neighborhood until shortly before her death.
Mildred is survived by her two children, many
grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great
grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews,
including Rochelle Johnson, of South Dakota,
with whom she had a very special relationship.
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