Mildred ‘Midge’ Manchester

ODESSA — Mildred “Midge” Manchester, Ector County Library retiree of 1976, died Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004, in Odessa.
Midge was born Mildred Blanche Vaughn on Sept. 25, 1913, in New Madrid, Mo., to George Samuel Vaughn and Charlotte Louise Ronnebeck Vaughn, both deceased.
She was reared in Cairo, Ill., and after high school graduation, she worked in St. Louis, Mo., and Chicago, Ill. On Jan. 24, 1942, she married August Joseph Werner, a master plumber of St Louis. In 1943, Mr. Werner was sent by his St. Louis company to superintend plumbing and pipefitting of government projects — the first being the Shell Refinery at Notrees and later the Sid Richardson Carbon Black plants. He was to return to St. Louis in two to three years. However, they bought a house in Odessa in 1944 and ever since, Odessa has been home to Midge, calling herself a “Texan by choice.” Later, Mr. Werner established Better Plumbing Company. He died May 2, 1960.
Midge married Gordon L. “Lee” Manchester on Oct. 21, 1962; he passed away Feb. 5, 2000.
A lifelong Methodist, she transferred her St. Louis membership to the, then only, Methodist church in 1944. She was a member-at-large of the United Methodist Women.
Midge was in the first capping that was held at Odessa College for licensed vocational nurses on Aug. 1, 1952. Later, she attended Odessa College in 1956-57 as a business administration student.
Midge was a charter member and past Chief of Pythian Sisters, a lifemember and past Noble Grand of George Knauff Rebekah Lodge, past member of Ladies Auxiliary Patriarch Millitant and American Business Women’s Association. She enjoyed the Odessa Old Timers Club.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and infant brother, August Fredrick Vaughn; and sister, Clara Marie Vaughn; three nieces, Ellen Jean Boyden Love, Betty Vaughn Dowdy and Reta Louise Vaughn Askworth.
She is survived by a nephew, Ralph George Boyden and wife Dixie of Ephrata, Wash.; three nieces, Charlotte Boyden Kerkhoff of Miram Ind., Leslie Boyden Jackson of Fort Scott, Kan., and Gwen Vaughn Peyton and husband Earl of Carbondale Ill. She is also survived by her Texas cousin, Mrs. Charles E. Banta Sr. of Wichita Falls.
The family will receive visitors from 11 a.m. until service time Monday at the funeral home.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16, 2004, at Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Blossom Matthews of First United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to First United Methodist Church, 415 N. Lee, Odessa, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929.
Services are entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.