Obituary of Mildred Louise Ortiz

Mrs. Mildred Louise Ortiz, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend was born on October 11, 1913 in Water Valley, Mississippi. She was the sixth of fifteen children born to the late Mr. Lee Andrew Thomas and Mrs. Clara Shepherd Thomas. The family moved to Memphis, Tennessee in the 1920s where Louise lived until moving to Detroit, Michigan in the 1930s. She was united in marriage to Roman Charles Ortiz on April 18, 1958 and the couple relocated to Buffalo, New York in the early 1960s. To this union came one child, Ramona Louise. Louise had several careers during her long life and worked full time until she was eighty-one. In the 1940s she made history, working for victory in the war effort as a “Rosie the Riveter” for the Ford Motor Company at its Willow Run bomber plant. During the late 1940s and 1950s she worked at the Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. During the 1960s and 70s she worked as a lab technician, eventually retiring from the Buffalo General Hospital. For the next twenty years she was an educator with the Buffalo Board of Education before retiring from her work with troubled teens in the alternative school program. Louise and Roman relocated to Houston, Texas in 1994 to be with Ramona as she started her career. Louise remained active and prided herself on living independently until she was 95. She actively demonstrated her faith in God in her words and deeds. She loved to travel, and is fondly remembered by her family for the years that she, Roman and Ramona travelled across the country each summer in their motorhome. She continued to travel with Ramona after Roman’s death in 1997. Even as her mobility declined, she refused to miss a family gathering and enjoyed trips to Memphis and Chicago in 2010. Her greatest joy came in the last two years with the arrival of her grandson, Gavin, upon whom she lavished love and attention. She entered peacefully into eternal rest on May 31, 2011 at the age of 97. The family will be receiving friends beginning at 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at Clayton Funeral Home at 5530 W. Broadway, Pearland, TX 77581with the Funeral Service to follow at 2:00 pm. Louise’s final resting place will be Arlington National Cemetery alongside Roman to be scheduled at a later date. She loved her family and could always be counted on for encouragement, guidance, humor and support. Fond memories are left in the hearts of: her daughter, Ramona Louise Ortiz; son-in-law, William Stamps, III; grandson, Gavin Ortiz Stamps; four sisters, Mrs. Eloise Varnado, Mrs. Mae Julia Lowery, Mrs. Thelma King, Mrs. Corine Haley (honorary) all of Memphis, Tennessee; one brother, Minister Lee Thomas of Memphis, Tennessee; four sisters-in-law, Mrs. Christine Thomas of Memphis, Tennessee, Mrs. Julia Rangle, Mrs. Pearl Douglas and Mrs. Geraldine Thomas, all of Detroit, Michigan; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.