Mildred J. "Milly" Gaulke (Peterson)
May 12, 1927 — December 26, 2008
Mildred Joan “Milly” Gaulke, 81, of 2625 5th Avenue in Marion, died Friday, December 26, 2008, at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona. Services: 1:00 p.m. Monday, January 5, 2009, at First Lutheran Church in McGregor by Rev. Bruce Hanson. Visitation will be from 2-6 p.m. Sunday at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Marion and one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial: Pleasant Grove Cemetery in rural McGregor.
Survivors include two children, Carl (Judy) Gaulke of Manchester and Kristi (Mike) Smith of Hudson; two sisters, Edith Nading of McGregor and Jean (Kenneth) Kennedy of Dubuque; a brother, William (Dorothy) Peterson of Garnavillo; son-in-law, Phil Sparrgrove of Cedar Rapids; eight grandchildren, Jamie (Brett) Betels, Chad (Jennifer) Gaulke, Dawn and Becky Gaulke, Jason (Angela) Evans, Jeremy (Kori) Evans, Dominic (Angela) Sparrgrove, and Keri (Brad) Campbell; and eight great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Chuck; her daughter, Pamela; twin sons, Pat and Mike; a sister, Vonnie; and a brother, Ronald.
Mildred was born May 12, 1927, to Gilbert “Butch” Peterson and Rebecca Magenusson in Spring Grove, Minnesota. She grew up in the McGregor area on a farm and graduated from McGregor High School in 1945. While Milly was growing up she worked on the farm with her sisters, drove a cream truck and made it to school every day. It was necessary for Milly to take over a lot of the work because her father was in the service during WWII. After High School, Milly went to Luther College and Upper Iowa to earn her teachers certificate. Many years later Milly earned her Masters in School Counseling from the University of Iowa. Milly met Chuck Gaulke while at Luther and was married in 1947, in Waterville. They lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota for a short time and also lived in Marquette before moving to Cedar Rapids in 1962. Milly worked in the Cedar Rapids School District for many years, retiring in 1988 from Polk Elementary. Milly really enjoyed her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was known as the “hugging counselor” at Polk.
Milly and Chuck traveled after she retired and wintered in Arizona. Chuck passed away in 1994. Milly still spent the winters in Arizona and the summer months in Cedar Rapids. She enjoyed spending time with her family, golfing, reading and sewing.
A memorial fund has been established in Mildred’s memory.
Survivors include two children, Carl (Judy) Gaulke of Manchester and Kristi (Mike) Smith of Hudson; two sisters, Edith Nading of McGregor and Jean (Kenneth) Kennedy of Dubuque; a brother, William (Dorothy) Peterson of Garnavillo; son-in-law, Phil Sparrgrove of Cedar Rapids; eight grandchildren, Jamie (Brett) Betels, Chad (Jennifer) Gaulke, Dawn and Becky Gaulke, Jason (Angela) Evans, Jeremy (Kori) Evans, Dominic (Angela) Sparrgrove, and Keri (Brad) Campbell; and eight great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Chuck; her daughter, Pamela; twin sons, Pat and Mike; a sister, Vonnie; and a brother, Ronald.
Mildred was born May 12, 1927, to Gilbert “Butch” Peterson and Rebecca Magenusson in Spring Grove, Minnesota. She grew up in the McGregor area on a farm and graduated from McGregor High School in 1945. While Milly was growing up she worked on the farm with her sisters, drove a cream truck and made it to school every day. It was necessary for Milly to take over a lot of the work because her father was in the service during WWII. After High School, Milly went to Luther College and Upper Iowa to earn her teachers certificate. Many years later Milly earned her Masters in School Counseling from the University of Iowa. Milly met Chuck Gaulke while at Luther and was married in 1947, in Waterville. They lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota for a short time and also lived in Marquette before moving to Cedar Rapids in 1962. Milly worked in the Cedar Rapids School District for many years, retiring in 1988 from Polk Elementary. Milly really enjoyed her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was known as the “hugging counselor” at Polk.
Milly and Chuck traveled after she retired and wintered in Arizona. Chuck passed away in 1994. Milly still spent the winters in Arizona and the summer months in Cedar Rapids. She enjoyed spending time with her family, golfing, reading and sewing.
A memorial fund has been established in Mildred’s memory.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Mildred J. "Milly" Gaulke (Peterson), please visit our flower store.