Obituary for Mildred Huth

Millie Huth died in her sleep, surrounded by family, on Thursday, October 2, 2014. She turned 88 less than a month ago, on September 9. Millie was born in Fresno, California, the second daughter of Vincent and Anna. Her father was a businessman whose successful import business was decimated by the depression, but who was able to start a new business, keep his family together, and move them to a home in Santa Monica where he and his wife lived the rest of their lives.

Millie met her future husband, Henry Huth, when her fellow stewardesses talked her into a blind date with a ‘Navy man,’ after the war. She went out with him a second time because “he was a great dancer, had all his own teeth, and was the only one of his friends with a car.” He went out with her again “to see if one woman really could talk that much a second time.” They married soon thereafter in Kansas City and both retained their sense of humor, which they needed to raise four boys. Over the span of their fifty-year marriage they lived in Kansas City, Long Island, and Bartlesville, before moving to Ponca City to stay, in the summer of 1959.

Millie volunteered with the Cub Scouts and St. Mary’s Catholic school, where all four boys attended. She involved them in Boy Scouts, swimming lessons, golf lessons, piano lessons, dance lessons (they have forgiven her for that one) and ‘every sport that little league had to offer’ in the 60’s. The work-related love of her life was the Opportunity Center. First as a volunteer, and then later as assistant special education instructor, Millie loved those kids for twenty years (and even many years later when they were adults, she continued to tell us about ‘her kids’.)

Millie loved life. She thoroughly enjoyed playing bridge, cooking, telling people about her kids, playing bridge, telling people about her grandkids, playing bridge, telling people about her nieces, nephews, and in-laws, cooking for her kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, and in-laws, and playing bridge. She kept her Christmas tree up year-round and collected nativity sets from around the world (her grandkids stopped counting last year at forty-eight).

Millie was a (more than) faithful member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church for fifty-five years, honoring her church with her attendance (every Sunday and a whole lot of weekdays), her tithe (although as kids she let us pretend we were contributing when we put the envelopes in the basket), her service (she was famous for Mama Millie’s Overnight Pasta Salad that she brought to all the bereavement lunches), and her kindness to all.

Millie gave so much to Ponca City. Among others she supported for years with her time and money the Arts Center, the Poncan Theatre, Via Christi, Meals on Wheels, Goodwill Industries, the St. Francis Guild, the Opportunity Center and every child in Ponca City whoever came to the house and asked her to buy magazines, peanut brittle, and fruitcakes (actually we think once she even bought the same fruit cake three years in a row).

Millie loved God, St. Mary’s, the Opportunity Center, Ponca City, her house, her kids, her grandkids, her brother and sister, her nieces and nephews, her in-laws, her lifetime family friends ( the Kotarskis and Kilkennys), her other close friends, and her (seven) bridge clubs. She has left us four boys with so many loving memories, including the family vacations that she orchestrated and saved for all year long by putting money each week in a ‘vacation’ envelope. Rather than choosing destinations she would like, she chose cities like St. Louis and Chicago, with a major league ballpark (for her boys) and a zoo (for her husband, Henry, who until his death in 1999 could do a spot-on impression of a seal that would have even fooled Marlin Perkins). We, along with her grandkids, nieces and nephews, in-laws, friends, bridge clubs, St. Mary’s, the Opportunity Center, and Ponca City, itself, will dearly miss Mom.

Mildred Elaine Nutile Huth was preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Anna; her husband’s parents, Louis and Alice, her brother, Vincent; her sister, Margie; her sisters-in-law, Eleanor, Perky, and Vera; her brothers-in-law, Louis, Herb, and Bill; her nephews, Mike and Tim, and her husband, Henry. She is survived by her sons, Paul (San Diego); Vince (Nashville); Doug (Denver); and Chris (Dallas); her daughter-in-law, Katie; her grandkids Victoria and Francesca; her sister-in-law, Sandy; her nieces, Ann Louise, Debbie, Paula, Jackie, Christy, and Linda; and nephews Steve, Joe, Tom, Gary, Tim, and Joey.

A rosary will be held tonight (Sunday, October 5), 7:00pm, at Trout Funeral Home; the funeral will be 10:00am tomorrow morning (Monday, October 6) at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

A memorial has been established in Millie’s memory with the Opportunity Center of Ponca City c/o Trout Funeral Home, 505 W. Grand, Ponca City, OK 74604.

Source: Trout Funeral Home