Mildred Rosetta (Bowers) Wiley passed away peacefully December 24, 2010.
A California native known to her family and friends as “Millie,” she was born and raised in Coalinga as the eldest of six children. Millie’s maternal grandparents (James and Zula Kirkpatrick) came to California on the train from Kentucky in 1903, and then to Coalinga in 1906 when it was an oil boomtown.
Millie and her beloved husband of sixty-six years, Samuel B. Wiley, lived in La Habra most of their marriage. After World War II Millie was a homemaker, community volunteer in many settings, and an avid conversationalist. She had a remarkable memory throughout her life and valued family, often sharing experiences with wit and humor. She and Sam were an active Aunt and Uncle to their many nieces and nephews, and good neighbors and friends wherever they lived.
Millie was preceded in death by infant twin brothers, two sisters, and husband.
In her later years, she moved to Gilroy and celebrated her 95th birthday with extended family in November.
Millie is survived by her brother, Johnnie Bowers of Yorba Linda. She will be missed by her close cousins and extended family who shepherded her care in recent years.
No services were held at her request. Burial December 30, 2010, at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Coalinga.
