Anna Mildred “Millie” Heizer, a longtime Baker City resident, died Aug. 21, 2008, at St. Elizabeth Health Services immediately after kissing her son goodbye.
Her funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Mr. Larry Pearson will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception after the burial at Meadowbrook Place, 4000 Cedar St.
Millie was born at Colorado Springs, Colo., to J. F. and Alberta Cox Smith. She was the youngest of four children.
When Millie was 2, her family moved to Payette, Idaho. She attended all her school years there and was a Payette High School graduate. After high school she opened her own beauty shop.
During this time she met Earl Heizer, her husband-to-be. They were married at Payette, Idaho, on Sept 28, 1929. Earl and Millie were married for 68 years. They moved to Baker City in 1934.
When Millie was young she car-hopped for A&W Drive-In and worked at Woolworth’s. When Earl became manager of the Production Credit Association they traveled back and forth between the Baker City and Ontario offices. While in Ontario she worked at a jewelry store.
After Earl retired, she helped clean and paint rentals owned by her son, Bill.
“I cleaned and painted, I loved doing it,” she said, until Bill took her paint brush away. She got caught on her ladder at 97 because her shrubs weren’t trimmed right.
Millie was active in the Rebekah Lodge, No. 8, and the Quail Ridge Bridge Association. She loved mind games, bridge, pinochle, and Scrabble and worked her crossword puzzles everyday. She also delivered Meals on Wheels for years.
Millie moved to Meadowbrook Place after a bad fall on Nov. 1, 2006. She was so appreciative of the good care they gave her, her family said.
Survivors include her son, Dr. William F. Heizer, and his wife, Jean, of Baker City; granddaughters and their husbands, Dallas Kyriss and Steve of Lewiston, Idaho, Kelley Baker and Ric of Canby, and Wendy Ricks and Allan of Mesa, Ariz.; six great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and a special niece, Betty Rick of Pendleton.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Earl W. Heizer; her parents; two brothers; and one sister.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice, through the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, August 26, 2008
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
