- Date Of Birth: October 26, 1911
- Date Of Death: August 15, 2011
- State: Idaho
Mildred Elizabeth Norman Graves – 1911 to 2011. Mildred (“Midge”) Graves of Caldwell passed away of natural causes on August 15, 2011, at home in Caldwell. She was born October 26, 1911 in Wilder, Idaho, to Charles Edward Norman and Nellie Russell Norman. Midge was born at home on her parents’ homestead on the Wilder Bench. She was the third of six children born to Charles and Nellie, two of whom died during their childhood. Midge attended school in Wilder, as well as in Jefferson and Roseburg, Oregon, graduating from Wilder High School in 1930. After graduation, she attended business college in Nampa while living with her aunt, Elizabeth Stockwell, in Caldwell. Jobs were hard to come by during the Great Depression when she completed business school in 1931, especially for single women, but she was fortunate to receive an offer from Caldwell attorney George Scatterday to work in his law office, just “for the experience”. It was there that she met Fred Mitchell, an insurance agent, who offered her full time, paid employment in the fall of 1931.
Midge married Vernon Eugene (“Gene”) Graves on August 22, 1932. In 1936, Mr. Mitchell passed away unexpectedly and she convinced her husband to enter the insurance business. Midge continued to manage the Fred Mitchell Agency until Gene completed insurance school in Baltimore, Maryland, at which point they purchased the Fred Mitchell Agency and changed the name to Mitchell Graves Agency. In the early 1950’s, J. B. “Bernie” Holden became a partner in the agency and its name was changed to Graves-Holden Insurance. Although the agency was sold in 1976, Midge continued to work at the agency until she ultimately retired in 1983.
Midge was an avid baseball fan. She began playing baseball in the eighth grade when she was asked to fill in on a boys’ baseball team in Roseburg, Oregon, which didn’t have enough players to fill out the team. Upon returning to Wilder, she played on the Wilder High School girls’ baseball team through graduation. She remained a baseball fan for the remainder of her life. She was a passionate gardener, especially for roses; an avid bridge and mahjong player; and enjoyed golf. She was a member of the Caldwell chapter of P.E.O.
She was preceded in death by her parents; by her brothers Richard R. Norman (Myrtle) of Salem, OR and Dudley V. Norman (Dorothy) of Poway CA; brothers Edward and Lyle who died in infancy; and her husband, Gene. She is survived by her sister Reva Ilene Thompson Durning of Lewiston, ID; by her sons Ronald N. Graves (Diane) of Boise and Michael E. Graves (Suzanne) of Los Altos Hills, CA; and her daughter Maureen G. Frisby (Rodney) of Caldwell; by six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, as well as numerous beloved nieces and nephews.
