Waushara Argus, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, Page 19
The busy life of Poy Sippi’s Mildred Struve Reflecting on the remarkable life of Mildred Struve, one would come to appreciate that she is an extremely hardworking. “Being busy is the important thing,” Struve says. Mildred Struve was born in McFadden, WY on March 13, 1927. After celebrating her birthday this past month, Struve affirmed, “I’ve always been a hard worker and just because I just turned 86 doesn’t mean I am going to stop doing things. If I want to continue to live, I have to keep busy.” At the age of three Struve moved to Harlan, IA, where she grew up. After graduating from high school she worked as a clerk in a five and dime store. In 1946 she married her husband, Gerald, and raised a family of five girls and one boy: Catherine (Benish), Jean (Boudah), Elizabeth Struve, Patricia (Lisko) and twins Deborah (Gabrilska) and James Struve. Presently she has twelve grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Gerald’s job kept the family moving a great deal, starting in February of 1957, moving to Hinton, OK, then continuing through Kansas, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, then finishing up her years in Wisconsin, living in Green Lake, Ripon, and Oshkosh, and finally settling in Poy Sippi in 1991. It was while Struve was living in Ripon from 1961-1974 when her life got even busier. She worked at Ripon Foods and then at Standard Kollsman in Oshkosh. It was after that when she went to work at Ripon College, where her life’s work evolved in food service – becoming a baker. Struve’s career as a baker kept her busy for many years. After Ripon College the family moved to Oshkosh, where she worked at the Grey Fox until
the Golden Oven opened in Park Plaza where she worked as a baker for six years. Mildred Struve’s philosophy in life is a spiritual one. She believes that you should do unto others as you would want done unto you. Much of this is expressed in her volunteer work and how she raised her family. Struve was a Sunday school teacher at the Methodist Church and a Cadet Girl Scouts leader when she lived in Ripon. She was a janitor along with being the Secretary on the Board Council and a Communion Steward for the United Methodist Church in Poy Sippi. Because of ill health in 2009 Struve had to give up her church work. After 53 years of marriage, Struve’s husband died in 1999, yet she persisted in staying busy by continuing to do her volunteer work. She volunteered at the Second Time Around Shop in Berlin. She was also a Superintendent in the 4-H building at the Waushara County Fair for years. In past years she knitted infant sweaters for the needy children in Wautoma and also crocheted Afghans for cancer patients at Mercy Hospital in Oshkosh. To keep busy these days she knits little caps for newborns for the Berlin Hospital. Struve also used her life’s work as a baker to bake for bazaars and dozens of Easter Egg cookies for the Poy Sippi Public Library Annual Easter Egg Hunt, which was a star attraction for many years. Not to mention making up to 1,300 dozen specialty Christmas Cookies orders for others for many years. In the year 2000, Struve received a Certificate of Commendation Nominee for Waushara County Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year 2000 Award for outstanding service and in recognition
Mildred Struve stays busy these days by knitting caps for the newborns at Berlin Hospital. of her dedication to upholding a high quality of life for residents of Waushara County. She also won many awards for her baking and knitting. She won two Grand Champion awards and many other ribbons at the Waushara Country Fair. Struve also baked and decorated wedding cakes for many weddings, including all of the cakes for her children’s weddings. She has photo albums full of all the beautiful wedding cakes she made throughout the years. An additional activity that keeps her busy these days is decorating for holidays and seasons in the community room at the apartment building she lives in. She also bakes cookies and shares them with the residents there. She recently made Saint Patrick Day cookies and set them out for the residents to en-
joy, along with giving dozens away to family and friends. She also planted and kept up the flowers around her building for years until she had to have a knee replacement.
There isn’t much that slows Struve down, even health issues, because she can always keep busy with reading. Struve is such an avid reader that the Poy Sippi Library keeps a record of all the books she has read so as not to get a book she has already read. Despite her simple ways, her life’s body of work has been immense, notable to all those who know her. She even touches the lives of those that have never met her with the knitted caps, sweaters and Afghans that kept them warm and the delight of those that ate her baked goods.