Mildred “Milly” Hendrick

Milly Hendrick believed that life was meant to be an adventure, and for 98 years, she traveled the world, challenged her mind, mothered a family and helped people in need, until leaving the world peacefully at the end of her nearly century-long journey.

Born 1918 into a large, loving Swedish family in Rockford, Illinois, Milly moved to Coral Gables, Florida when she was in high school. A brilliant woman with an incisive mind and an endlessly inquisitive spirit, she studied at both Florida State College for Women (now Florida State University) and the University of Miami.

Milly married attorney David H. Hendrick in 1940, and she was his bedrock when he successfully ran for public office and became Mayor of Coral Gables. During her time as the First Lady of Coral Gables, Milly traveled to Latin America on a number of goodwill trips, which led to a lifetime of love and appreciation for the people and culture of Central and South America.

Milly was only 43 when her husband died, but even as she mourned, she knew the grand adventure of her life was only just beginning. She lovingly raised her devoted children, Bunny and David, and began to explore both the natural world around her and the spiritual world within.

Milly always dreamed big, but she was never content until she turned her dreams into reality. If she wanted to do something, she did it. When Bunny joined the Peace Corps in 1964, Milly decided she wanted to join as well, and so she did, at the age of 45. She spent two years in Panama, and then returned to Panama every winter for the next ten years, working in a library and teaching English.

She learned Spanish. She learned to water ski. She learned to garden. She was a Girl Scout leader. She was an avid crossword puzzler. She listened to classical music. She was active at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. When she felt like roaming, she got in a van and camped up and down the East Coast entirely on her own. When she felt like exploring, she traveled to Europe, to Central America, to the Caribbean, and to the Amazon.

For Milly, “adventure” wasn’t simply a word. It was a way of life, and she pursued it on her own terms and lived it in her own way, which usually meant giving more than she received. For decades, Milly supported, visited and volunteered at El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza (Home of Hope and Love), an Episcopal home and school for underprivileged children in Honduras.

Even as she aged, Milly never lost her passion for the wonderful, independent life she defined for herself. She kept birdwatching, kept reading, kept thinking, kept questioning, kept laughing, kept loving— and above all, kept adventuring.

Her remarkable life has touched so many people of different creeds, faiths and nationalities, and her legacy is reflected and continued in the loved ones that celebrate her memory.

Milly is survived and remembered by her daughter Bunny Frey of Vero Beach, her son David Hendrick of Sebastian, her granddaughter and grandson-in-law Melissa and Craig Mazin, her great-grandchildren Jack and Jessica Mazin, and so many other nieces, nephews, dear friends, and beneficiaries of her generosity and love.

Milly Hendrick’s adventure has come to an end, but her extraordinary spirit, mind and heart are a permanent inspiration to all of us who knew her, and all of us who seek to live with the same passion and devotion Milly felt for each of her 98 years.

A Memorial Service will be held 3 p.m., Saturday, May 27, 2017 at St. Augustine Episcopal Church, 475 43rd Ave., Vero Beach, FL 32968.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to EHMI (El Hogar Ministries, Inc.), 21 Cummings Park Drive, Suite 238, Woburn, MA 01801.