Hazel Nitabelle Milhem

Our dear mother, Hazel Nitabelle (Nita) Milhem, passed away on July 17, 2018, at her home in Atascadero, California, after contracting a sinus infection toward the end of her last visit to Michigan. This month-long illness led to other complications from which she never recovered. At 91 years of age, she had been in excellent health prior to the visit, and frequently astounded doctors when they found that she wasn’t taking any kind of daily medication. She drew her last breaths with three of her four children holding her hands.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Donald and Myrtle, along with one sister, Helen, and two brothers, James Thomas and Wallace. All 10 of her half-brothers and sisters also preceded her in death. Her husband of 62 years, William L. Milhem, passed away on September 1, 2012.

Nita is survived by her sons Richard (Cynthia) and William Jr., daughters Deborah Ingalls (William) and Tamara Sam (Malcolm Roberts), along with her three grandchildren Julia, Charles and William, and great-granddaughter Savannah, several nieces and nephews, and brothers-in-law Richard (Constance) and Charles Milhem.

She was born at home on August 31, 1926, on a farm about six miles outside of the town of Newport, Arkansas, where she lived until after graduating high school. Never liking her first name of Hazel, she was always known to family and friends by her preferred middle name of Nitabelle, or simply Nita. It was shortly after graduation that she moved to Detroit, Michigan, to live with her sister Helen and brother-in-law Richard Bender, where she quickly found work in the office of the Hudson Motor Car Company on the second shift, from 5 pm to 1:30 am.

According to autobiographical materials, public transportation was good and ran on time in Detroit in those years. Depending on the weather, she would usually walk the three blocks from the apartment she shared with her sister and brother-in-law to work, then take the bus home after her shift. The fare was 10 cents one way, and the bus stop was one block past her street. Her brother-in-law Richard, despite having to get up early for his job on the day shift, was always on hand to meet her and walk her back to the apartment to ensure her safety. She was always grateful to him for being so protective of her, and considered him a true brother.

It was at the Hudson Motor Car Company that she met her future husband, William (Bill) Milhem, whom she married in November of 1949. The two of them agreed early on that once they were married, Nita would stay at home to raise the children while Bill would provide for the family. After a honeymoon road trip to sight-see and visit relatives in Arkansas and El Paso, Texas, they initially made their home with Bill’s parents Kamel and Lamayda in Detroit, eventually moving into their own home nearby a short time later. In 1951 their first child, Richard, was born, followed in subsequent years by Deborah, Tamara, and William, Jr.

True to her word, Nita delighted and excelled in her role as wife, mother and grandmother to her family. She was widely known for her superb cooking and housekeeping skills, generosity of spirit, and boundless hospitality. She helped manage her husband’s numerous real estate properties, all the while maintaining her beautiful appearance and cheerful can-do attitude.

During these years, Nita and Bill were able to take occasional trips to visit relatives and friends across the country, and enjoyed foreign vacations to Canada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. After Bill passed away in 2012, Nita came to the Central Coast of California to spend time with her two eldest children who had relocated there from Colorado. In July of 2014, she sold the last home she had shared with her husband in Eastpointe, Michigan, and moved permanently to be near Deborah and Richard in Atascadero, California, where she quickly settled in and made many new friends.

It was in California that Nita was finally able to devote herself to following through on her long-term desire to become a Jehovah’s Witness, and she was formally baptized in that denomination in October of 2017. This action brought her much joy and peace of mind.

In keeping with her wishes, she was cremated after her death, with a portion of her ashes to be combined with part of Bill’s before interment. She will always be remembered for her joyful, youthful, and generous spirit, and missed eternally by those who love her.