Mildred Louise Day

Mildred Louise Day, age 94, passed on November 5, 2014. Long a tower of strength and the mainstay of her family, Mrs. Day was born in 1920 in Mount Victory, Ohio, but was brought to Pinellas County, Florida, in 1922, by her parents, John and Darlie Mae Westly. Growing up during the Great Depression, Mrs. Day and her sisters and brother learned early the value of hard work and thrift. In 1938, she met and married Gordon H. Day who was born in Harding County, South Dakota, and also brought to Florida as a child. In 1939, their daughter Janice was born, and in 1942, they pulled a little trailer to Mobile, Alabama, where Mr. Day found work as a draftsman at Brookley Field, and where they lived throughout the rest of World War II. In the fall of 1946, they returned to St. Petersburg to be near family. Mrs. Day worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for both Eden Homes, a St. Petersburg development company, and for Sherman’s, a longtime dress shop there. She and Mr. Day became Avion campers and traveled the southeast. When Mr. Day retired from Florida Power Corporation in 1975, the couple moved to Tallahassee to be near their daughter’s family, bringing Mrs. Day’s mother, who lived with them. Mrs. Day joined Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, became active in a church circle and volunteered in the church office for many years. She also became a member of the Woman’s Club of Tallahassee, chaired a committee and served as a member of the board of directors. The Days took many long trips through their retirement years, traveling all over the United States, Canada and Europe. Mrs. Day, never one to sit back and watch, climbed up and down the ladders at the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde when others with her hesitated and stayed behind. She was often among the first to try new technology, taking a computer class long after her retirement just to know what it was all about. That was before her daughter and granddaughters learned anything about computers. She was an avid reader, until an eye condition developed in her late 80s, taking most of her vision. But she continued to keep up with her email contacts in spite of it. A broken leg at age 92 slowed but did not stop her. Mrs. Day was an accomplished seamstress from her teen years, making much of her clothing and that of her daughter for many years. She lamented having to give up sewing due to her sight loss. Her daughter and granddaughters sought her advice on financial matters since she had an excellent grasp of issues concerning banking, investing and property management. She enjoyed a wide circle of friends, a number of whom were many years younger than she. Mrs. Day was an altogether admirable person throughout her long life, and a wonderful example of fortitude and accomplishment for her family and friends. Her passing leaves a void in the lives of her family members who loved her dearly. She is survived by her daughter, Janice RuBino (Richard), granddaughters Laurie Dughi (Richard Gourdier), Leslie Dughi, Robin Whitfield (George), grandsons Jon RuBino and Mark RuBino (Jane), ten great-grandchildren, including Chris Gourdier and Vicki Smith, and four great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Jean O'Neill of St. Petersburg, Fl. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Saint. Paul’s United Methodist Church, the Woman’s Club of Tallahassee or Big Bend Hospice. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at MeadowWood Memorial Park. Susie Mozolic of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements. (www.bevisfh.com 850-385-2193)

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Mildred Louise Day

January 17, 1920 - November 5, 2014