She was born in New York City and is survived by sons Ben and Marty as well as grandchildren Rachel and Lindsay.
Mil was a lovely person. She had a knack for making people feel good about themselves. She was truly interested in what other people thought and had to say. People often came to her with their personal issues and they often left feeling better.
Millie, daughter of Clara and Hyman was first generation of the Held family to be born in the US. Her parents were milliners. They owned a hat factory and worked very long hours. As a result, Millie became a major caretaker of Marcia her younger sister by 10 years. This was a huge responsibility and burden for a young person, but she did what she had to do. This was a role Mille never really grew out of. She tried to care for Marcia the rest of their lives and they were both a bit stubborn!
Despite money being very tight in the family, Millie expressed how important going to college was for her to her father. He wanted to be supportive and between the 2 of them, figured out how to pay for it.
She went to NYU and obtained her BA in Journalism. While in journalism she reported on fashion. She worked for the New Yorker magazine as well as for a noted critic. She would tell stories of going to fashion shows at then fancy hotels like the Algonquin and The New Yorker. She loved journalism and her time in it.
Then along came Sam Wax. Sam really liked Millie. Her father really liked Sam but Mille wasn’t interested and wanted to stay in journalism. Eventually, Sam and Hymie wore her down and they married at the family farm in New Jersey June 1948.
Son Ben was born in 1950 and Marty in 1953. Millie was a big part of their lives until they were 69 and 66 respectively. They both visited her in Florida every 2-3 months and spoke with her many times each week. Millie was a great conversationalist.
Once married and with kids there was no going back to journalism. While Sam was not happy about it at first, Millie decided to become an elementary school teacher.
She became a permanent NYC elementary school teacher in 1967. She obtained her Masters at Queens College while teaching and raising a family. While at PS 117 in Queens, she pioneered a Math and Science Lab. It was a unique opportunity for young students to leave their primary classrooms and focus on specific subjects (STEM). She retired in May 1981. Rachel, one of her granddaughters followed in her footsteps and chose her second career as a Physics and Engineering teacher at the Bronx High School of Science.
Mil was pleased to see one of her sons marry and bring Laurie into the family. She loved and respected Laurie.
Her two-favorite people in the whole world are her grandchildren Rachel and Lindsay. They all spent lots of quality time together and enjoyed email communications as well.
We are all so sad, she was interred in New York with Sam and the rest of her family.
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