Mildred Shaw Higbee

From singing “This World is not my Home” at noon to being in heaven by evening, Mildred Shaw Higbee died peacefully on September 21, 2018 in Newberg, Oregon at age 94. Born in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma on December 7, 1923, she grew up there with three sisters and had five older half brothers and sisters. When Mildred was seventeen the course of her life changed when she took a bus from Oklahoma to San Diego, CA to live with a half-sister’s family and finish high school. Millie met Elton Ivan Higbee at the San Diego Free Methodist Church there and they were married in that church on August 7, 1942. After WWII, they lived in Crescent City, California until they settled on a peppermint farm near Albany, Oregon. Millie, a loving wife and mother, was a talented homemaker and enjoyed hosting others in their home. Before Elton’s death in 1968, she enrolled as a student at Oregon State University and then loved teaching Home Economics at Salem Academy. She often welcomed students into her home. In 1993, Mildred moved to Dundee Oregon, sharing a home with her daughter Sheila Bartlett and her family. Millie knew how to be a good friend and how to be generous. Millie loved to travel and volunteer. Trips to Haiti, Israel and Korea highlighted her travels. She actively served as a lay member at Salem First Free Methodist Church for many years and her handiwork was often appreciated in the flowerbeds at Aldersgate Camp. Millie brought wisdom and care to others, volunteering with Willamette Valley Hospice and as a peer counsellor with Senior Services. She is survived by daughters Sheila Bartlett (Doug), and Trude Higbee, son James Higbee (Kathy), four grandchildren Mark Bartlett, Jeff Bartlett (Jamie) and Ellie Higbee all of Newberg, Oregon, Wesley Higbee of Renton, Washington and three great-grandsons. Donations may be made to Aldersgate Christian Retreat Center, Turner, Oregon or a charity of your choice. You’re invited to a Celebration of Life November 4th at 2 pm at Newberg Friends Church. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be made to Aldersgate Christian Retreat Center, 7790 Marion Rd SE, Turner, OR 97392 or to a charity of your choice.