Mildred Irene Eichelberger

Mildred Irene Eichelberger, daughter of the late Delmer and Clara (Roth) Beckler, was born March 16, 1931, in Chappell, Nebraska, and passed away October 22, 2018, at her home in Mansfield, Missouri. She was 87 years, 7 months, and 9 days of age.

As a child, Millie went through the Dust Bowl days with her brothers and sisters. She was saved as a young girl. At age 17, she married Dean Eichelberger and in 1949, they moved to a farm south of Broken Bow, Nebraska. She milked cows, raised a garden and bore four children. Millie learned to crochet from her mother-in-law. She also sewed her girl’s clothes and was a very good cook.

In 1967, Dean and Millie moved their family to Missouri and bought a farm in the Cedar Gap area. Millie worked in a café, the HD Lee garment factory, and Rocky Ridge Nursing Home.

In 1970, the family moved to Mansfield, Missouri. They bought the Mansfield Hotel and Millie managed it while Dean started the Ozark Handle Company. They sold handles all over several states and had handle routes they covered through the summer months. Millie was greatly involved with their business and kept the books. In 1978, they bought a farm east of Mansfield and grew their handle business. In 1993, while on a handle route, Dean died of a major heart attack.

From 1993 to 2000, Millie continued to run the business by herself. She also kept the farm in tip top shape by mowing the field and lawn by herself. She loved growing flowers and gardening. Millie served as secretary for the Senior Citizens group and they voted for her to cook the meat for their dinners. In 2007, she was honored for walking 2000 miles in the Silver Sneakers event and won a medal. She visited the nursing home every Saturday to encourage those who couldn’t get out and she made many friends. As she slowed down a bit, she moved to the senior citizen apartments. In February of 2013, she moved in with her daughter, Connie, and lived there until her death.

Millie greatly enjoyed attending church at Liberty Faith in Norwood. She was very active and loved serving people when she could. She loved the Lord Jesus and the precious Word of God most of all. She memorized scripture and wrote many verses on cards and in notebooks. Millie was a prayer warrior. Her prayers for us all will be missed. Millie wanted all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to be saved, serve the Lord, and follow her to Heaven. She greatly loved her family and all those in her life. In her spare time, she enjoyed crocheting afghans, baby blankets, and all kinds of pretty things. She also loved to collect rocks and take photos of flowers, sunsets, and clouds. Millie was a special lady and she will be missed by all those who knew and loved her.

Besides her parents and her husband, Millie was preceded in death by one daughter, Amy Eichelberger, five brothers, Roy, John, Gary, Eddie, and Alan Beckler, three sisters, Ruth Melton, Donna Little, and Mary McCall, and one granddaughter, Natalie Lawson.

She is survived by one son, Gary Eichelberger (Lisa) of Sparta, Tennessee, two daughters, Cathy Harris (Phil) of Moberly, Missouri, and Connie Lawson (Larry) of Mansfield, Missouri, one half-sister, Darlene Hersberger of Arizona, sixteen grandchildren, thirty-two great-grandchildren, many other relatives, friends, and church family.