Mildred Mills

A family graveside service for Mildred Frankie Whitaker Mills, 86, of Cookeville will be held at Ferguson Ridge Family Cemetery in Tazewell, TN at a later date. Ms. Mills died Friday morning, July 22, 2011 at Bethesda Health Care Center. She was born February 28, 1925 in Tazewell, TN to the late Frank and Rachel Edith Ferguson Whitaker. She was preceded in death by her parents, stepfather Fletcher A. (FA) Whitten, maternal grandparents Robert A. and Eva Ferguson, two uncles Homer and Hubert "Tad" Ferguson, and her aunt, Inez Ferguson. Frankie Mills attended Berea College in Kentucky, later relocated to Texas and worked as an accounting clerk for Frito Lay and underwriter for Aetna Insurance in Dallas before returning to Tennessee. Ms. Mills worked as a clerk for more than 25 years with Signal Knitting Mills in Tazewell. After retiring to Cookeville in 1991, Frankie nurtured a passion for lifelong learning-reading everything from college science textbooks to science fiction novels. A loving, gentle, and strong mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister, she died peacefully, surrounded by her family. Ms. Mills is survived by her children including her son, Wayne Mills of Selmer, TN; daughter, Jeannie Mullinax of Cookeville; grandchildren including, Selena Mullinax, Wiley Mullinax, Stephanie Mills and Jessica Murray, great granddaughter, Elizabeth Murray, sister, Patsy Whitten-Lege and husband Gene of Houston, TX; and nephew, Jon Whitten-Lege. Memorial contributions may be made to the Putnam County Library, 50 East Broad Street Cookeville, TN 38501.