Millie Saake 1925-2017

Millie (Mildred) Saake 91, of St. Louis, MO, went home to be with the Lord Saturday, October 28, 2017. She was born on June 15, 1925 in Evansville, IN, the daughter of Adam and Vera Gunn Dickman, which I found out by reading her twin sister, Mickey Margaret Estill's, obituary. Margaret died in April of this same year.

Millie is survived by her 2 daughters, Phyllis and Peggy. According to her youngest daughter, Peggy, Millie did not want a funeral, any kind of service, or even an obituary. I personally feel the need to participate in something along those lines, so, this is a “Tribute”, which was not mentioned by Millie as something she did not want. :-)

For the past 3 years, Millie has been my dad’s, aka Pop Pop's, roommate. As Peggy said, they made 6 years of memories in those 3 years. They were always on the go, dancing at the senior center on Arsenal on Fridays, and Whitecliff on Tuesdays.  At the Banjo Club at Concordia Turners (Thursdays) there was a special song during which everyone else cleared the floor so they could perform their dance. They also went to Bingo, the casinos, the Fox, many many trips to Grant’s Farm, and many other adventures.

Millie was very sharp and would absolutely tell it like it is. She had wisdom gained from living a very full life, including being widowed 3 times, and moving 29 times. She did not lose any of her mental capacity until the day she died. She was loving, had a great sense of humor, always dressed fancy, and was very spunky.

She changed Pop Pop's life, and in doing so also changed mine and my sister’s. We frequently say “I Love You” to each other now, something Pop Pop was totally not accustomed to in the 85 years prior. Actually, I would have to go back to almost pre-memory times to remember when he was as consistently happy and positive as he has been these past 3 years.

Pop Pop has always been determined to do things his own way, for better or worse. Somehow Millie had the perfect combination of standing her ground and bending, and was able to motivate him in a way no one else has. She pulled him out of a decades-old funk.  Who would have thought someone could make changes like that in their late 80’s.

Pop Pop will dearly miss you, Millie, as will our whole family, and your whole family, and your many friends.  You said you were ready to go, and that you wanted to go, and we know you are with Jesus now and free from all the pain of this world. You now know what we have yet to find out - what it is like in paradise. Godspeed, Millie. “I Love You”.