Mildred “Millie” Hendrix passed away peacefully Thursday, April 2, 2020, at the age of 99, at Hospice House of Spokane.
She is survived by her daughter, Lorraine Costanza; her brother, Bud Zavoral; and her sister, Irene Rising. Millie was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Hendrix, and her daughter, Patricia Hendrix.
Millie was born and raised in the remote areas of northern Minnesota, the nearest town being Grygla. Raised on a subsistence farm with her eight siblings, she attended school in a one-room schoolhouse through middle school. She left home to attend high school in Thief River Falls, Minn., where she stayed with a local family and worked for her room and board.
Following graduation from high school, Millie attended the University of Minnesota, where she met her future husband, Walter Hendrix. Walter graduated with his Ph.D. in plant pathology and took a position with the University of Hawaii. As WWII was in progress, Millie was unable to travel to Hawaii until she obtained a job as a censor for the military and then joined Walter in Honolulu, where they were married. In 1952, Millie, Walter and their 5-year-old daughter, Patricia, moved to Pullman, as Walter had obtained a professorship at Washington State College. In 1956, their daughter, Lorraine, was born at Pullman Memorial Hospital.
While at Washington State, Millie and Walter became advisers of the Hawaiian Club, the group of students from Hawaii and other South Pacific Islands. As travel was difficult for this group of students and they could not return home for the holidays, Millie and Walter hosted numerous gatherings and holiday dinners at their home, providing a nurturing home away from home for the students. Millie continued to receive correspondence from former students to this day.
Millie will be remembered for her kindness, her generosity, her marvelous cooking and baking, her dry sense of humor, and her love of birds. She was a gentle soul, stoic and accepting of whatever occurred in life. At Millie’s request, there will be no services held. The family requests any donations in Millie’s memory be made to Hospice of Spokane.
