Obituary of Mildred Bowman McCormick

Mrs. Mildred Weaver Bowman McCormick, 95, of Wesley Harris Circle, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, at Golden Living Center of Greensboro, after an extended illness. Funeral services will be held 11:00 am Saturday, October 16, 2010 at Lambeth-Troxler Funeral Chapel, with the Reverend Franklin Bowman officiating. Burial will follow at Lakeview Memorial Park. Born in Schoolfield, VA (now part of Danville) on June 1, 1915, Mildred grew up in Leaksville, NC, as the fifth child of Homer O. Weaver and Mattie Troy Edwards. In her youth she and her twin brother Hildred (known to everyone as Hick and Mick) were inseparable with their favorite pastimes being roller-skating down the Boulevard and performing the 'Charleston' to earn spending money. In adulthood, Mildred joined Sears Roebuck & Co. Mail Order on Lawndale Drive, shortly after it opened, spending over 33 years with the company and becoming Supervisor of Dept. 170. Coworkers often referred to her as the 'Lady with the Red Pencil', for her method of correcting billing errors. After retirement, she became an avid gardener and her 'green thumb' always had her vegetable garden overflowing and a wide variety of flowers in full bloom. Throughout her life, she was the 'caretaker' of the family, caring for her parents and brother in their declining years, and was always available when someone needed financial help, a major appliance or a place to stay. Even though to most she seemed a bit standoffish, staid and un-emotional most of the time, in her later years, she often displayed a child-like playfulness and laughed easily with an unmistakable mischievous twinkle in her eye. Her strength and dedication to family will be sorely missed by those left to cherish her memory. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Willford, Stafford (Scoop), and Hildred (Hick) Weaver and sister Thelma McCollum, as well as husbands Walter Obadiah Bowman, Jr. and Robert Vernon McCormick. She is survived by daughters, Joanne Shepherd, of Concord, NC, Peggy Mitchell, of the home; son, Jerry Bowman (Gail) of Brown Summit; grandchildren, David Mitchell (Pam), Renee' Gray, Misty Bowman, Tammy Bowman, and Chris Bowman (Dana) all of Greensboro, Mark Shepherd of Escondido, CA, and Dr. Daniel Shepherd-Banigan (Megan) of Seattle, WA; great-grandchildren Jordan Gray, Brandon, Maddie, and Jackson Bowman. The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 am Saturday, at the funeral home, prior to the service, and at other times at her residence. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to The American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer's Foundation. Online condolences may be made to www.lambethtroxlerfuneralhome.com