Mildred (Elfstrom) Kuchan, 93, of Mission Hills, Kansas was born May 17, 1927 in Centerville, Iowa to Carl H. and Julia E. (Adams) Elfstrom and passed away on January 29, 2021. As a young adult, Mildred enjoyed being a life guard for the Centerville’s city pool. After high school, she attended Centerville Community College and received her Teacher’s Certificate. It was during this time that she would meet her husband of 71 years, Rudolph F. “Rudy” Kuchan. They were married on December 28, 1947 in Centerville, Iowa and to this union two children were born. She would then attend Drake University, where she renewed her Teacher’s Certificate. After relocating to the Kansas City area, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Missouri Kansas City. She did substitute teaching for eight years, then went on to teach for 25 years before retiring from Somerset Elementary School.
During her life, she loved to travel whether it was traveling to the family’s lake home at Lake of the Ozarks, RV’ing across the United States and Canada, or traveling abroad to visit Israel, England, Ireland and Scotland. At one time in her life, she and her daughter, Karen, had visited London five years in a row; many great memories and stories had come from these visits. One of her favorite pastimes for almost 60 years was baking cookies; however, her specialty were ‘Gingerbread Boys’ at Christmas time for her neighbors and friends which left a lasting impact on many people’s lives.
She is survived by her son, Gary and was preceded in death by her sister, Helen Kemble; daughter, Karen Rankin and husband, Rudy.
A special thanks to Mildred’s caregivers and doctors for their compassionate and thoughtful care.
An inurnment will take place at a later date in Oakland Cemetery in Centerville, Iowa.
