Millie Crocker Cundy

Millie reported a happy childhood as the middle of five children born to James and Pearl (Warne) Crocker in the small Northern Michigan town of Hancock (Dorothy (Korpinen), Warne, Dudley, and baby Shirley). Warm summers and bitter cold winters imbued her with a steely resolve, determination, and a sense of fun. She was someone to sit next to at a party because she also had a wicked sense of humor. Millie had lifelong friends from her time on Elm Street in Hancock including Rachel who was one of 15 and Mertie who lived across the street. She told of a playhouse upstairs in Rachel’s garage where they all grew up and spent both good times and sad times. The good friends also spent hours sitting under trees in the yard, making doll clothes, letting their imaginations run wild, and dressing up the cats when they could catch them. She learned to skate shortly after walking and watched hundreds of hockey games at Emma Rink near her house. Best of all, Millie’s Grandma Crocker lived in the next block. She loved going to Grandma’s house for any reason including lunch, a nap, to make something, or just to visit.

Millie was 11 when the stock market crashed in 1929 but the effects were not dire for the family that was careful and prudent in all things. Graduating from high school in 1936, Millie filled in for her sister, Dorothy, at Keewanaw Copper Company and ended up staying seven years. When WWII began she moved to Cleveland to work for munitions company Jack and Heinz. When the war ended she worked for one of the company’s lawyers in his private practice. It was during a Christmas visit to Hancock in 1946 that she met her match, Clyde Yendow Cundy. The visit went so well they were married in May. The newlyweds left on their honeymoon in a late spring snow storm.

Cy and Millie moved to several places in the Midwest while he completed his college work in Forestry and was recalled to the Naval Reserves for the Korean War. In the mid-60’s work brought Cy to Washington State. When offered a job that would allow them to stay in the area, the family happily moved to Olympia. Millie quickly found work at the Olympia Brewing Company working for Skip Schmidt in the Engineering Department. She loved learning about the intricacies of building and maintaining the 7th largest brewery in the country. Because she was smart and resourceful, in addition to routine secretarial duties she completed many basic engineering tasks that would take her to all parts of the plant in her golf cart. She also liked the product and spent many years on the internal tasting panel providing valuable customer feedback.

Millie retired from Olympia Beer in 1980 to hit the open road with Cy. The intrepid travelers had adventures from one end of the country to the other, and Canada, Mexico, and Europe. The Boston Police may still be wondering how those folks from Washington State got that huge motor home so far on the Freedom Trail! As time passed, each winter would see Millie and Cy heading south and spending time in Arizona. Gradually their time there began to grow longer and longer until they moved to Sun City permanently where they found many new friends and renewed ties with old friends from Washington and Michigan. It is not possible to sum up the affect Millie had on the lives of the people who knew and loved her. To say she was loved by her family is insufficient – she was adored, revered, and sometimes feared. She taught them all how to live. By life lessons, by example, by repetition, if necessary, she taught prudence in all things except trust and love. She had no reservations when it came to her belief in the goodness and rectitude of the people she loved. It made all who knew her better people. She was generous without strings, critical without malice, and clear without harshness. She could tell a story so meandering the end was never obvious but it was always fun. She loved shoes and emery boards. She could communicate disapproval with a frightening look. She loved cats and dogs. She could NOT be hurried to Cy’s everlasting frustration. She lived life well. Her twinkly smile and calm counsel will be missed every single day by everyone who loved her.

Millie is preceded by her adoring husband, Cy, and is the last of her generation of Crockers.

She is survived by her beloved family including son, Tom (Dora) and children, Nicole (Mark Todd), Sara (James Wells) and Jacob (Hannah and Theo); daughter, Susan (Randy) Harris and children, Tanya (Joe Espinosa, children Kaitlyn and Mateo), Victoria, and David, and “that other daughter” Mary Galvez.

There will be no formal service but in Millie’s honor tell a story that goes nowhere or teach someone how to “save a few pennies” – she would love it!