Obituary of Mildred Obie

Seven months after her husband and love, Gordon departed this world, Mildred has joined him and their daughter Florene in the far beyond.Mildred was born in Bonilla Township, South Dakota, about 20 miles south of Wolsey and a long way from nowhere. Her dad Francis (Papa) was black Irish as they say, and her mom Florence of Scottish decent. They journeyed to near Hingham, Montana in 1926, when she was twelve years old. Their destination was his parent’s dry land homestead, 20 miles north of Hingham and just south of the Canadian border. The 300-mile trip was on rutted and gravel roads in a model T-Ford. The car contained 6 girls and all the families’ belongings. As luck would have it they broke down about 60 miles short of their destination, along came a man named Orin B. Streeter, who towed them to his farm and gave them work to earn money to fix the car and complete their journey. This accidental meeting created a multi generation bond with the Obie's and Streeter’s, as Mildred's older sister Bernice later married Marion "Bub" Streeter.In Montana, the family grew by three more children for a total on nine, all of whom it took to scrape a living out of the hardscrabble dirt. Anytime Mildred’s children complained, she would recall the difficulties of her early life. The wind and cold were relentless and unforgiving. There was no electricity and the car had seen its last days, transportation was by foot or horse drawn wagon. The forces of nature and the hardship of daily life created grit and fiber for those that experienced homestead life. Mildred was also quick to romanticize those times. She would often recall family gatherings, playing cards all night and decorating a tree made of sagebrush at Christmas time. They didn't have a lot, but what they did have was shared with friends, neighbors and those in need. This quality was demonstrated throughout her life. No body ever left her home hungry or in need of a bed.Saturday nights were reserved for country-dances, it was at one of these that the tall red headed Mildred met her future husband, live wire Gordon Obie. A few years later, both were in Havre, Montana where they met again. Needing work as they were just coming out of the depression, they left town with the carnival, she sold tickets, and he charmed snakes and her as well. They married in East Helena, Montana on August 7, 1937. The next year came son Gary now of Springfield, Oregon, then Brian in 1941, former Mayor of Eugene and daughter Florene in 1942. The war years for this young family created a whole new world, moving first to Salt Lake City Utah to work in the Navy supply depot, on to Long Beach, California to work in the ship yards, from there transferring to Vancouver, Washington to bring Gordon’s ship building experiences to the developing ship yards there. After the war it was back to Bozeman, Montana to raise a family and build a sign business. Post war years brought opportunity and prosperity to the country. Neither Mildred nor Gordon were shy about hard work, he as a businessman and she, like most of her generation, as a homemaker and guiding parent. The kid’s clothes might be worn, but always clean. She set an example of helping others and impressing on her children, as she said it "There is no such word as can't".In 1960, Gordon and Mildred moved to Eugene, Oregon, followed by their family, to join in a partnership with Marion and Bernice Streeter, who were mentioned above. The two families joined and began to build the business Obie Outdoor Advertising. They retired in the late sixties and enjoyed over 40 years of travel, warmer climates in Arizona, and a variety of hobbies including 9 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren, and 6 great-great grandchildren.Mildred will find her final resting place Monday, October 14, 2013, along side her husband Gordon, Sister Bernice and her husband Marion Streeter.She and the family were particularly blessed with an extended family of Caregivers and Sacred Heart Hospice.Service will be held at 11:00 AM, Monday, October 14, 2013, West Lawn Memorial Chapel, 225 S Danebo Ave, Eugene, Oregon.Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com