Mildred Corkum's Obituary
Mildred Yvonne Parker Corkum. longtime resident from Lakewood, WA, passed away at the age of 93. She was born, the youngest of three sisters in Lamesa, Texas on January 27, 1926 to Oscar and Jonnie Parker.
The family moved westward and lived in several places before settling down on a small farm in La Plata, New Mexico in 1935. Always an A student and a good athlete, she would even play 3rd base on the boy’s sandlot baseball team.
Life on the farm was both enlightening and heartbreaking. There was Joe, the bull snake that lived amongst the kitchen pans below the sink. Jonnie, her mom, would call the girls inside and prop a chair up against the door whenever the Navajo Indians dropped by looking to make a trade. There was the time Millie had to perform open stomach surgery to save the cow who ate too much. Then there was the day the rains came. The girls laughed and played in the puddles only to realize the family’s bean crop had just been washed away. A member of America’s Greatest generation, it was never easy.
In 1945 she enrolled at the St Joseph School of Nursing. It was there that she met a red-haired New Englander, Ellsworth (Corky) Corkum who was attending pilot school in Albuquerque. Corky promised her he would show her the world and they got married on November 1, 1945. Thanks to the Air Force, they got to live in Connecticut, Morocco, Maine, Upstate New York, Georgia and Long island before finally settling down in Lakewood, WA in 1968.
Millie loved to camp, play card games, grow a garden, play golf and bowl. She was the best golfer in the family and was the 1st Corkum to break 200 in bowling. She was also an avid Mariner and Seahawk fan. She, Corky and their dogs had so many adventures in their camper and the Yankee Clipper boat.
One of Millie’s greatest talents was her charm. She could go into a room of strangers and before the night was over, they would all be her friend. She was the Welcome Wagon for the many Air Force families that had just moved to the area. Her smile, laughter and grace were genuine and priceless.
Mille was preceded in death by Corky in 2014, her husband of 67 years, her two sisters, son-in-law Bill Cox and grandson Christopher. She is survived by her daughter Jan Cox (Fred Brotherton), her son Kenneth Corkum (Susan Richards), her son Douglas Corkum (Krista Malpasso) and her daughter Katherine MacDonald (Glenn). She is also survived by her grandchildren Reid Corkum (Sierra Rambow), Jennifer Salerno (Nick), Grace MacDonald, Dustin Corkum, Annika Corkum and one great granddaughter Fiona Corkum.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Salvation Army.
Please take the time to commemorate your thoughts for the family by signing the on-line register at www.mountainviewtacoma.com.
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