Mildred E. Kilgore

Mildred E. Kilgore of Cleveland, Oklahoma, passed away on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the Continuous Care Center at the Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa at the age of eighty-seven. Mildred was born on May 29, 1923 in a lease house on the Johnson Oil Refinery in Cleveland, Oklahoma. She was one of eight children of Martin Jacob and Mary Melissa Iza Dora (Lay) Rogers. Mildred was raised an attended school in Cleveland graduating from Cleveland High School in 1941. After graduation from high school, Mildred attended Draughon School of Business in Tulsa and accepted a position as a secretary working for Bethlehem Steel Company in Tulsa. She was married to B. W. Kilgore on February 24, 1944 in Cleveland, Oklahoma. The couple made their initial home in Brooklyn, New York during World War II and then moved to Borger, Texas. The couple had three sons, Robert, John and Roger. B. W. and Mildred later moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma and resided there until 1982 when they relocated to Cleveland. Mildred dedicated her life to providing a wonderful home for her husband and children. She considered herself and was proud of being a homemaker for her family but did work outside of the home on a few occasions; working at Commander Mills and Woolworths, just to mention a couple. Mildred was an avid bowler, enjoyed league play at the Hominy Bowling Lanes until it closed. She also enjoyed playing golf as B. W. and her played many rounds together at the Keystone Golf Club in Cleveland as well as numerous other courses. She especially enjoyed working in her yard and gardening. She always planted beautiful geraniums and also liked caladiums. She assisted many friends and neighbors with help maintaining their yards and gardens also. She will be remembered for her kind heartedness and willingness to help all those in need, as well as for her devotion to her family. B. W. preceded her in death on April 13, 1998 and Mildred has continued to reside at the family home in Cleveland until the time of her passing. Mildred attended the Lake Area Free Will Baptist Church for several years. She is survived by her three sons and their wives, Robert and Barbara Kilgore of Cleveland, Oklahoma, John and Ruth Kilgore of Meeker, Oklahoma, Roger and Deborah Kilgore of Punta Gorda, Florida; seven grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; three sisters, Ann Collins of Cleveland, Oklahoma; Lucreta Wilson of Sand Springs, and Mary Welch of Cleveland, Oklahoma; as well as numerous other relatives and friends. In addition to her husband, Mildred was in death by her mother, Mary Melissa Iza Dora Rogers; her father, father, Martin Jacob Rogers; three brothers, brothers, O. B. Rogers, Wallace Rogers, Glen Rogers; and a sister, Colleen Bell.