Mildred Dale Kingen

Mildred Kingen, 94, beloved wife of the late Dennis “Dink” Kingen and treasured mother of Sharon Kingen, passed into the embrace of the Savior Jesus on Thursday evening, October 21, 2010. Born on Christmas day of 1915 to Gertrude and Allen Snyder, she spent her childhood on the family farm a mile south of Mt. Comfort. As a teenager during the Depression, she assisted in supplementing the family income by helping to cook and serve chicken dinners on Sundays. Following her graduation from Mt. Comfort High School, she pursued a career as a comptometer operator at Eli Lilly Co. On June 25, 1937, she wed her high school sweetheart, Dink Kingen, in Culver, Indiana. The couple lived for a few years in Fortville before Dink enlisted in the Army Air Force to serve in World War II. While he was listed as missing in action, she gave birth to their only child, daughter Sharon. After his safe return to the United States, Pid and Dink set to farming on property owned by Dink’s father in Hancock County. They lived together on this farm all of their 60 years of marriage. Pid not only worked as a farm housewife, but she also cooked for 20 years in the Mt. Comfort and Mt. Vernon Schools. In 1959, Pid and Dink began construction of the Kingen Gun Club on the farm property. Her responsibility was the restaurant at the club, a duty she was fulfilling in August of 2010 shortly before she fell ill. Throughout all of her married life, she was the unofficial gun bearer and emotional support of her husband and daughter. Although she never took part in shooting sports as a competitor, she was well known by hundreds of shooters throughout the nation. The Indiana Trapshooting Association awarded her a plaque in honor of her many years of support of the sport. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and served as Worthy Matron of the McCordsville Chapter. She was also a very active member of the Mt. Comfort United Methodist Church. She taught Sunday School classes, served as church treasurer for several years, worked as a member of the worship committee, sang in the church choir, and labored as church historian for many years, as well as volunteering for numerous duties associated with church activities including smorgasbords and funeral dinners. Until her final illness took her mobility and energy, she was a vigorous, optimistic force to those who knew her, yet she was a woman of gentle touch and kind words to all. She is survived by her daughter, Sharon; her niece, Karen Fleming and her nephew, Dennis Fisk, both of Greenfield; her niece, Marta Evry Bowman of California; and many great nieces and nephews who grieve her passing but celebrate the opportunity to have known and loved a woman of sturdy strength, honesty, and virtue. She will be greatly missed by many friends and acquaintances not only in the local community but across the state and the country. Visitation will be on Sunday, October 24, 2010, from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Erlewein Mortuary in Greenfield. Funeral services will take place on Monday, October 25, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. at Mt. Comfort United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Washington Park East Cemetery. Friends may send online condolences at www.erleweinmortuary.com or email sympathy@erleweinmortuary.com.

Mildred Dale Kingen

December 25, 1915 - October 21, 2010