Mildred Pederson

Mildred “Millie” Pederson, age 90, of Milbank, SD, passed away on May 7, 2024, at St. William’s Care Center in Milbank.

A private family gathering will be held at a later date.

Mildred Grace (Morton) Pederson was born on March 11, 1934, in Milbank, SD. She was the sixth of ten children born to Ray and Violet (Packard) Morton. Millie grew up on the family farm located southwest of Milbank. She attended Madison Township #2 Country School.

In her younger years, Millie did housekeeping and babysitting for local families. She also helped on the family farm, milking cows and helping in the fields. She eventually met Gordon “Kayo” Pederson, who was a hired farmhand at a neighboring farm. Millie and Kayo were united in marriage at LaBolt Covenant Church in November of 1954. Together, they farmed for many years and were blessed with two children: Debra and Kevin.

Millie was a farmwife through and through. She loved the outdoors, had a large garden, and raised chickens to sell. She enjoyed family time, especially having “card parties” with her sisters. They would frequently get together to play cards and board games. She loved her new house that was built in 2002 and loved to shop for clothes and costume jewelry. Millie liked to cook and entertain. She and her sisters fostered a tradition of having huge family gatherings for Thanksgiving, with as many as 90 family members gathering one summer!

On March 26, 2023, Millie moved off the farm and resided at St. William’s Care Center in Milbank. She loved having visitors; the nursing home staff were amazed at how many visitors Millie entertained during her time there.

Millie is survived by her daughter, Debra Pederson of Milbank, SD; son, Kevin Pederson of Milbank, SD; sisters: Blanche Rohlfs of Ortonville, MN; Betty Schultz of Corona, SD; and Myra Quade of Milbank, SD; sisters-in-law: Linda Morton of Milbank, SD; and Mary Morton of Milbank, SD; cousin, Eleanor Seehafer of Milbank, SD; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents: Ray and Violet Morton; husband, Gordon “Kayo” Pederson; and siblings: Helen Seehafer, Berton Morton, Dorothy Johanson, Clara Pederson, Doris Wendland, and Charles Morton.