My first and best girlfriend, my mom, died on April 10, 2021, in the loving arms of my brother Scott, and her husband of 61 years by her side. Mildred Ann Young Burgess is her given name but of course Millie is how most of you know her. Mom was born December 16, 1941, in Macomb, Illinois to the parents of Tresler and Mildred Ailene Marrs Young. After a storied courtship, she married our Dad, Don Burgess of Aledo, Illinois in 1960 and it was then their life together began in Rock Island, Illinois. As a woman ahead of her time, while married and raising two young sons, Mom completed her teaching degree at Augustana College. After the birth of her third child, me, Mom’s storied career as a kindergarten teacher began in Matherville, Illinois and her devotion to public education would continue after our move to Girard in 1972.

To countless people, Mom was known as Mrs. Burgess, and she held many roles in the school system. These roles ranged from numerous volunteer positions, substitute teacher, teacher aide, to finally, her coveted position of kindergarten teacher. Teaching was her passion. One of her favorite activities to do were “cooking units” where she taught students many skills in one venture; and “students could learn virtually all subjects by learning how to scramble an egg.” However, her true reasoning for this activity was “to teach children survival skills for the present and the future.” She felt play was an immeasurable marker of learning and spent countless Saturdays scouring garage sales for classroom toys, games, and puzzles. Upon her retirement in 2000, Mom said would work as a substitute if she were “bored or broke” but she was neither. However, she continued to be involved in the school system and produced monthly the school board news for the local paper. She relished this time with her former comrades and enjoyed her new role as “Ace Reporter.”

Mom loved sports and she loved all things Big Red and the now North Mac Panthers. She was famous for running both a football pool at Girard (where Coach Parmentier referred to her as the “resident bookie”) and a bragging rights family football pool. Before the term “sports mom” was fashionable, she fit the definition perfectly even washing not only our uniforms but other kids as well. Mom was famous for getting grass stains out of white football pants, but more famous for helping kids in need, with that wash, a soft shoulder, or a warm dinner. Her loyalty and passion continued as a sports Mimi who let neither sleet, rain, snow, or heat keep her from watching her second generation loves compete. Like with us, she was there to celebrate victories and to wipe away tears in defeat. When given a chance, she often shared her strategies with the coaches, and one coach in particular laughed when he told me, “Millie let me know when I wasn’t doing so well, but she also told me when I did okay.”

Mom’s passion for play, for her family, for her friends, is perhaps best remembered on the Burgess Rocky Beach. In the 48 years we lived at Sunset Lake, Mom hosted hundreds of people at her home, from adults, to teenagers, to children. Summer holidays were the favorite and Mom loved to hold gatherings- no one left without a meal, a beverage, a boat ride, a swim, or a laugh. Fourth of July was a beloved holiday and the parties were legendary. Because she constantly worried that people would not have enough to eat, Mom’s tables were always bountiful. She loved to cook for guests and for her family and up until just recently, she was the top chef at Burgess and Son, Inc. Perhaps one of her greatest accolades was when a foreign exchange student from Italy ate an entire meatloaf of hers as he related he’d never “had anything so wonderful.” Mom shopped, baked, and cooked relentlessly for her family and my back patio was a constant drop off of goodies for the grands because I “didn’t buy them enough fun stuff.”

 Mom also enjoyed compliments on her vast number of plants and flowers in her yard where she spent innumerable hours working. Often, kids would have to “trade a swim for a weed” and she employed many throughout the years to cultivate her gardens. These kids usually finished knowing more “than I ever wanted to know about plants” and Mom loved it. Workers never left without a to go bag of food, or maybe even their own plant. She also dearly loved animals; both her pets and the wildlife found at Sunset Lake. She not only fed a constant stream of people at her kitchen table, but every stray animal at her door. Birdfeeders and squirrel feeders populated her yard and keeping tabs on these became nearly a fulltime job. Mom also loved to be on the go and people frequently comically remarked on how many times her car was seen on the road to town. No distance was too far for a fountain Pepsi, and she always knew the spots for good ice, including when she traveled. And she did enjoy traveling, but she was always ready to return home. And home will never be the same again without her, and no one will ever have my back like my Mom.