Millie

Allow me to introduce you to Mildred (Millie) Gene Halderman.

Millie’s father, Eugene Halderman, was born in Indiana. His sales occupation eventually landed him in Louisiana to become a permanent resident and future spouse of Mildred Foster, a Louisiana native, born in Morgan City, Louisiana. Millie was their first and only child, born March 1, 1935, in New Orleans.

Millie’s mother and father first resided in a downstairs rental flat at 2401 Esplanade, a center-city location which was eventually replaced with a Modern Arts Center. Later the Halderman’s purchased two homes in New Orleans, first at 3410 Allen Street and then at 4765 Baccich Street. This home became Millie’s greatest source of early childhood memories.

However, a long life in New Orleans for Millie was not to be because her father got transferred to Alexandria, Louisiana. Their home at 68 Kent Avenue in Alexandria became the center of Millie’s teenage activity on into college life.

February 4, 1955, Millie married Michael Kearns. Michael was a B-29 navigator, and the Air Force service took Millie and Michael to England. On February 2, 1957, while on a jet aircraft refueling mission, a tragic aircraft accident over the coast of France at St. Lo, took Michael’s life. Millie, then pregnant, returned to Alexandria, Louisiana where her son was born.

Millie is well educated, obtaining her B.S. in nursing from Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana, then passed Louisiana’s State Board to become a R.N. before leaving for England to be with her husband on duty there. Upon returning to Louisiana after her husband’s death, Millie continued her education and at the age of 50 achieved a master’s degree in management. On February 6, 1959, Millie married Frank Hathorn, a marriage that was to last 58 years until Frank died in 2018. At that time Frank and Millie resided at St. James Place, Baton Rouge, as did I.

I first noticed Millie in the dining room where I usually ate lunch. She and Frank ate at several tables down from me. What struck me from the start was the attention Millie gave to her husband, who although was only 4 years older than Millie, had not fared as well in health. After an absence I saw Millie again eating, but alone, only to find that she had lost her husband.

One day, again in the dining room at lunch, Millie came to my table, introduced herself, and we had lunch together. I usually ate alone as I am deaf, but little did I realize that having her company for lunch that day would be the start of an awesome romance. Eating together led to more meetings for coffee and afternoon conversations after which Millie would return to her apartment. It got to the point accompanying her to the elevator in her building was painful separation.

One afternoon, while sitting together, Millie turned to me and asked, “What is it you want of me?” I blurted, “I want you for my wife.” And that was that, and we were on to preparing ourselves to be wed which now had turned to be very difficult because St. James Place got locked down because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both Millie and I are resourceful and practical people. Together we created a beautiful “all resident” wedding ceremony held in our campus Chapel conducted by the St. James Place Chaplain Father Jerry Phillips. Although our immediate family members could not attend our wedding given the lockdown situation, they understood and didn’t object. That gave both Millie and I a great deal of peace.

The Covid-19 lockdown dictated that our married life that day would continue within the confines of the 52-acre campus of St. James Place for many months into the future. No honeymoon getaway. Our entire story of romance and marriage, considering our advanced age, caught the attention of the New York Times newspaper which published our story as part of a special national edition February 28, 2021.

How do widowed “oldsters” fare in new marriages? And that includes 3 children each, plus 9 grandchildren. As youngsters would say, “No problem!”