Mildred “Millie” Louise Hlad, 92, of Sylvan Grove, Kansas, passed away on March 23, 2026.

Millie was born on May 10, 1933, in Lucas, Kansas, to Joseph and Anna (Steenbock) Hendrich. She grew up on a farm south of Lucas with her nine brothers and sisters. She attended Pleasant Valley Grade School through the eighth grade and then attended Lucas High School, graduating in 1951. After high school, she worked as a nurse’s aide at Ellsworth County Hospital in Ellsworth, Kansas.

On November 15, 1952, she married her high school sweetheart, Edward Hlad. They shared 68 years of marriage and were blessed with four children.

Throughout her life, church was an integral part of who she was. She attended First Baptist Church in Wilson, Kansas, where she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior at the age of eight and was baptized. For over 50 years, she faithfully served in many areas, including teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, offering hospitality, and playing the piano and organ.

Millie was well known for her warm hospitality and home-cooked meals. She often opened her home to family, friends, missionaries, and neighbors. A devoted homemaker and dedicated farmwife, she had a gift for decorating, sewing, and gardening.

In her later years, her love of birds brought her joy, even in the midst of declining health.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Edward, and her son, Dean Mark.

Millie is survived by her daughter, Janet Bryan (Jim) of Ankeny, Iowa; her daughter, Rosalie Traver (Dan) of Wichita, Kansas; and her son, Dale Hlad (Pam) of Sylvan Grove, Kansas. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, March 31, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation with the family will take place at the church prior to the service at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow in the Wilson City Cemetery.

A memorial has been established in her honor for First Baptist Church in Wilson, Kansas, and the aviary at Lincoln Park Manor in Lincoln, Kansas and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, PO Box 533, Wilson, Kansas 67490.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.plumeroverlease.com