Mildred Ellen Byrd

Mildred Ellen Byrd, aged 89 passed away in Fort Worth Texas on January 23, 2023.  She will be interred with her late husband Willard at the DFW National cemetery in a private ceremony at a later time to be determined.  

A memorial service will be held on February 19, 2023 at 2 pm at the Arlington Seventh Day Adventist Church, 4409 Pleasant view Dr, Arlington, TX 76017.  Also live stream of the service will be available on church website arlingtonadventist.com

Mildred was one of about fifty charter members of the original Arlington Adventist church on Pioneer Parkway over 60 years ago.  She and her husband Willard took great pride in personally building this church with their peers and they were a true church family with great emphasis on their children ministries which remained her lifelong passion.  

Growing up poor during depression she was self conscious wearing flour sack dresses to school so always was aware and concerned for children having nice things to wear to  start school.  

Her church has a community outreach called revive ministries with a clothing store called “RE-STORED” to meet these needs.  The family request her memory be honored with donations to this fund.  Address to same church address with “Revived Re-Stored”in memory of Mildred Byrd.  You may donate directly with website above if you prefer.  

Mildred was born to Martha Ellen Patton-Rowland and Willie Joe Rowland in Paris texas Lamar county in the home of her maternal grandparents.  She was the younger sister to her brother Bill.  She graduated from Wichita Falls High school in 1950 when she was just 16 years old.  In the summer of 1951 she met her husband Willard who was stationed at the Air Force base there.  She married very shortly after her 18th birthday and they spent their wedding night in Dallas the farthest she had ever been from home.  From there they went to Florida where he was on a base and she had the world opened to her thereafter as Willard was already a world traveler having been in the merchant marines and army and now the air force.  She loved to travel and was ready to go at a moments notice whenever it was possible.

She was a hard worker.  Her first job was working at the drug store as a soda jerk.  She loved the old fashioned telephone switchboard and was very good at it.  But once she was a military wife those opportunities were not available.  Much later once settled in the Dallas Fort Worth area She worked for Delta Airlines and later American Airlines as a reservationist.  She loved the perks of travel with these jobs.  Later she worked many years for national starch.  

The trip of her lifetime was a mission trip she and Willard took with a small group of church friends led by Pastor Jim Gilley to the Ukraine where 891 decisions were made for baptism.  This was around 1992.  While on this same journey they also went to Moscow where her journal records that she accidentally slugged a Russian soldier with their animated conversation.  

When she retired she got her insurance adjuster license so she could help Willard go on storm trooping trips to help people after hurricanes and other natural disasters.  They continued this work together until their last trip together in 2011 where her beloved husband of 60 years passed away in Pennsylvania while on one of these missions.  

She was passionate about voting and encouraged everyone she knew to make their voice heard.  She frequently worked the polls in our area and loved debating her political views. 

Mildred loved flowers of all kinds. Her favorite garden was the Dallas Arboretum and made trips there as frequently as possible.  And promoted its beauty to all she could drag there!

She also loved animals and therefore the zoo and fossil rim and the squirrels and birds outside.  

She was a fervent cowboy fan.  Game days there was no other option but watch the boys!

She and Willard had two sons.  Johnny and Scotty.  John and Tena had a daughter Denice.  Sadly they passed away within a year of each other in 1999 and 2000. Scott and Renee had a daughter Amanda.  Matt married Denice and they have 3 children (her great grandchildren) Patrick,Wesley and Caleb.