Mildred Stillman

Mildred Eleene Stillman’s life here as farm wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother ended Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, at Royal Plaza Care Center in Lewiston, of causes related to age. She was 98.

Eleene was born on Oct. 1, 1921, at the family homestead on Central Ridge, above Peck, to Edgar Rogers and Mildred (Damron) Rogers. She rode the farm horse to attend the Ringsage School and recalled her frustration with Dan, who would carry her over the hill, out of sight of the men. “Then he would balk. I didn’t like that horse much.” She graduated from the eighth grade in 1936.

Eleene fell in love with Carl Stillman, who had hired on to help at the farm. They were married in Lewiston on July 23, 1946, and farmed together on Central Ridge until 2005. She loved her family above all else, and relished her role as a devoted homemaker, helping Carl in every way she could. When she wasn’t working in the kitchen cooking or canning to feed her family, she was busy tending her gardens, sewing or knitting to keep them warm. She efficiently managed two households, one at their ranch on Central Ridge, and the second in Lewiston, where her children attended school.

Eleene’s activities kept her busy beyond the farm, and she thrived serving others in a support role. She contributed to the Cowbells, Bluebirds and Camp Fire Girls organizations, and diligently assisted at Trinity Lutheran Church, where she faithfully attended for more than five decades until her health would no longer allow it.

As hard as they worked, Eleene and Carl also knew how to play. They enjoyed hosting and attending dinner parties with friends and took every opportunity to pick up a pinochle deck. They owned a timeshare and traveled every chance they had, even leaving the day harvest ended to sneak in a trip before fall work. They were Vandal Boosters and avid baseball fans, following the Lewis-Clark State Warriors to watch them play in Hawaii. In their later years, if the power was out on the farm, Eleene could be found outside together with Carl, sitting in the pickup listening to the Mariners game. She could visit for hours on end, and we will miss the quick smile, easy laugh, gentle hug and love she shared.

Eleene was preceded in death by her parents and husband, Carl Stillman. She is survived by her three children, Roger Stillman, of Las Vegas; Karen Stillman-Voss and her husband, Rich, of Kalama, Wash.; and Bill Stillman and his wife, Carol, of Lewiston. She also leaves behind six grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren, Nathan Nyberg and wife, Jayne, of Portland, Ore.; Bridget Nyberg (Josiah, Zoe) of Friday Harbor, Wash.; Millie Bromley and husband, Joe, (Madeline, Benjamin, Isabella, Miles) of Longview, Wash.; Brian Stillman and wife, Gayla, (Jonathan, Timothy, Samuel, Lydia) of Nampa; David Stillman and wife, Melinda, of Nampa; and Amy Uptmor and husband, Neil, (Leah, Cody, Katie) on the Central Ridge farm.

A service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church, in Lewiston. Memorial contributions in Eleene’s name can be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, 920 Eighth Ave., Lewiston, or to a charity of your choice.