Mildred Hoatson of rural Hershey, Nebraska peacefully passed away at age 95 on September 20, 2023 while recently staying at the Sutherland Care Center in Sutherland, Nebraska.
Mildred was born south of Hershey to Louie T. and Agnes (Frimel) Broeder on October 26, 1927. She attended one-room K-8 schools southeast of Hershey, often getting to school riding on horseback with her siblings, then boarded in North Platte, NE to attend high school. Mildred graduated from North Platte High School in 1945, then obtained her teaching certificate and taught K-8 at Lower Birdwood County School, northwest of Hershey, NE.
While teaching, Mildred met Fred Hoatson who was working with his father and brothers on the family farm on Birdwood Creek. The couple wed on May 17, 1947. They had two sons, Claude and Blaine, and continued working on the farm. The family hand-milked 6 to 8 dairy cows daily for many years and sold the cream to purchase most of the groceries.
Besides raising the boys, Mildred also helped supplement the family income by raising chickens and had a large garden every year, canning some of the produce. At each of the two houses where the family lived, Mildred had large strawberry patches which produced gallons and gallons of berries each day at peak production. When she got tired of picking, she'd invite others to come and 'pick their own.' Along with her garden produce, Mildred grew flowers that were prize winners at the Lincoln County Fair; she has the ribbons to show for this.
Mildred was active in the Hershey United Methodist Church and served two terms as president of the UMW, and was a member of the Lower Birdwood School Board for most of the years her sons attended that school.
Fred and Mildred enjoyed traveling and visiting family and friends around the U.S., as well as trips to Alaska, New England for fall foliage, Australia and New Zealand. After Fred's death in 2013, Mildred continued to live at home.
Mildred's hobbies included counted cross-stitch and crocheted needlework. She spent countless hours working on these to produced Christmas ornaments, pictures, and framed family names for newlyweds and other family members.
Along with her husband, Mildred was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Maxine (Glenn) Price and Iola Broeder; brother, Lyle Broeder; in-laws, William and Ruba Hoatson; brothers-in-law, Frank (Dorothy: Hoatson and Earl (Millie) Hoatson; and several nieces, nephews, and countless neighbors and friends.
Mildred is survived by her sons, Claude (Kelly) Hoatson and Blaine (Nancy) Hoatson of rural Hershey, NE; grandchildren, Riley Hoatson of Hershey, NE, Adam Hoatson (Stephanie Simpson) of Sutherland, NE, Madison Hoatson of North Platte, NE, and Colin Hoatson of Denver, CO; sister-in-law, Janet Broeder of Hershey, NE; many nieces, nephews, and other family as well as her friends and neighbors.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Central time on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at the Hershey United Methodist Church with Pastor Mark Baldwin officiating. Burial will follow in the North Platte Cemetery.
Visitation is Monday, September 25, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central time and with family greeting from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Central time at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore in North Platte, which is in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the church, Sutherland Public School Foundation, Hershey Public School Foundation, or the Hershey or Sutherland Fire Departments.
Online condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com.