Mildred Sarah Robison Stevens

A seamstress since she was much younger, Mildred continues to piece together fabric, family and friends. She is being honored by her three children, grandchildren, great and great-great-grandchildren and extended circle of family and friends. She is the one who keeps us in touch with each other ---- the thread that pieces the ever-expanding quilt of old friends and family -- always finding room to fit in that new piece of fabric, whether it be grandchildren by marriage or new friends she met today. The line between family and friends sometimes becomes blurred with many friends calling her "Aunt Mildred."

She was born August 24, 1916, in Amity, Oregon, and raised on a dairy farm in Rickreall. She was the "baby" of the family and is now the only survivor of her generation. While on the state championship Rickreall basketball team, she scored 80-plus points in one game. Lore has it that it was in the Ripley's Believe it or Not daily cartoon.

In 1940, along with her husband, Austin, and son, Richard, she moved to Garden Home in the Portland area. At the time Garden Home was a rural area. Mildred and Austin added two more children to the family, Judith and Barbara. Though the home was small, it was a gathering place. An oil stove in the center of the living room provided not only heat but a place for a pot of chili or stew during times of electrical outages. The neighbors gathered there to keep warm and well-fed. She taught us that a small house is no excuse for not inviting in a crowd. The door was always unlocked and open to company.

During her years at Garden Home, Mildred volunteered at school and church, led 4-H groups, and became an integral member of the community. She was an excellent seamstress -- copying for her daughters the popular fashions (Pendleton skirts and Lanz dresses) of the time. Many of the neighborhood brides wore wedding dresses made by Mildred.

Mildred was proud of her accomplishments with her union while working at the main office of Fred Meyer. While serving as a shop steward and vice president of her local, she managed to always settle grievances to the satisfaction of the workers and management.

She always has a bag of games including decks of cards, just in case there's someone up for a game. Anyone visiting is involved. She's convinced that the kids around her have improved math skills as a result of many hands of Black-Jack.

In 1969  Mildred and Austin left Garden Home and moved to the new house in Aloha, where she still lives independently, following Austin's death in 1990. She continues to host Garden Home gatherings. Though most of us have moved away we all consider ourselves Garden Homers.

Mildred is currently involved in the Garden Home History Project. Her incredible memory of names, dates, and faces makes her a valuable resource of local history. Her eagerness to learn, curiosity, and gift for living life to the fullest are traits she inspires in all of us.

Since moving to Aloha, her sewing has been focused on quilting. Whatever the occasion, births, weddings, graduations, new homes, or as a memorial, a quilt individualized for the recipient will be lovingly made. She may spend several hours a day at the sewing machine but still has time to keep up with her card groups, extension service group, friends, and family, keeping us all pieced together.

We wanted to honor her at the Walk of Heroines as she's a heroine by example to so many of us. We've learned to have an open door and invite in the crowds, regardless of space; that friends come in all ages and relationships with family and friends are more important than things; staying involved with the younger generations (family and friends ) keeps us young; and we're never too old to make new friends. She keeps us in touch and informed about each other and we've become one Crazy Quilt made up of friends and family tied together by Mildred.

Locate on Walk:

• Stage Wall (Left Wall), 1-6