Obituary of Mildred M. Oden

Mildred M. Oden, 92, of 3500 Lower West Branch Road, Iowa City, Iowa died June 1, 2006 from complications of a stroke. Mildred was born in Union County, South Dakota on June 17, 1913 to Jesse Burton and Elizabeth Emma Rosina (Behnke) Shuck, the middle child of eleven. She was a graduate of Star School and a lifelong learner. She married Clifford Oden on June 17, 1939. They lived in Elk Point, South Dakota where Clifford practiced law and Mildred worked alongside him as professional secretary until their retirement in 1974. Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas where they resided in the towns of Mission and McAllen until coming to Iowa City in 1998. During World War II, Mildred was employed for a period as a field agent for the Office of Price Administration and then as catalog sales manager for Sears in San Bernardino, California while her husband was serving as an officer with the Navy in the South Pacific. Following the war, they resumed their life in Elk Point where she and Clifford built their own house doing most of the work themselves. Mildred is survived by her son Gregg and his wife Lola Lopes of Iowa City, sister Verlan Stene of La Puente, California, and brother Kenneth Shuck of Alcester, South Dakota, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, brothers Wayne, Ira, Myron, Clinton, and Arlo, and sisters Pearl, Delia, and Nina.