home in north Portland where she had lived since 1959, after a
long struggle with COPD.Mildred was the first of nine
children born to Croatian immigrants, Matt Erceg and
Rose Peric Erceg. Born in Imotski, Croatia Sept. 20, 1922,
Mildred became a naturalized citizen in 1954. After the family
moved to Portland in 1926, she attended Holy Cross elementary
school graduating in 1936. Along with Mildred, there was at
least one Erceg enrolled at Holy Cross from 1928 until 1953. At
the time of her death, Mildred was the oldest living member of
Holy Cross Parish.
After Holy Cross, Mildred attended and graduated from
Immaculata Academy in 1940. Following High School, she
worked briefly at S.H.Kress and Meier & Frank before taking a
job at the Kaiser shipyards where she worked as a machinist’s
mate installing electric motors on the Liberty Ships being built
on Swan Island. It was while working on the ships that she
acquired the asbestos poisoning that contributed to her COPD
and eventual death. After the war, she worked for 13 years at
the Coast Veneer Company owned by Thomas Autzen who
famously pioneered the manufacture of plywood.
Mildred was predeceased by her husband, Roy Simkins,
in 1997; her sister, Sister Rose Imelda, in 1999; and brother,
Joseph Erceg in June of this year. She is survived by five sisters
and one brother: Mary Seats, Rose Howell, Helen Vranizan,
Virginia Wiederhold, Genevieve Erickson and Donald Erceg.
A memorial Mass for Mildred will be held at 11 a.m., Friday,
Nov. 30, 2018, at Holy Cross Catholic Church. There will be
a gathering with refreshments in Holy Cross School hall
following the service. The church is located at 5227 N. Bowdoin
Street in North Portland.
Donations in Mildred’s memory may be made to the Erceg
Foundation at the University of Portland (5000 Willamette
Blvd., Portland, OR 97203) or to Holy Cross Catholic School
(5220 N. Bowdoin St., Portland, OR 97203).
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