Mildred Brown

Where it all began. Mildred Wilder was born on a Saturday, the 7th of April, 1934, to Arthur and Lillie Wilder in Standing Rock, Alabama. Mildred was the oldest of Arthur and Lillie Wilder's seven children.

Mildred attended school in Five Points, Alabama, and gave her life to Christ at an early age. After graduating from high school in 1952, Mildred moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to live with her half brother and sister-in-law for a short time before leaving for New York to pursue a career in modeling. On her way to New York in 1953, Mildred stopped in Cleveland, Ohio, to visit with family, and that's where she met James Lewis. Well, clearly her modeling career never started, but there was a blessed union between James Lewis and Mildred Wilder that resulted in four beautiful children. The union between the two lasted for 22 years.

Mildred was a devoted mother and grandmother. She worked for Torq Manufacturing for 34 years. After retiring from Torq, Mildred couldn't sit at home doing nothing, so she found employment at McDonald's, where she worked for 8 years. She left because she said those people got on her nerves and she couldn't work there anymore.

Mildred will forever be known for her love of cooking, dancing, wearing her cut off shorts, smoking her Salem cigarettes, having her E&J in one hand and her Colt 45 in the other, and listening to Down Home Blues or Disco Lady. Okay, side bar: she stopped smoking about 20 years ago and gave up the Colt 45 but had a small sip of wine and E&J every now and then.

Okay, continuing on: Mildred started attending New Community Bible Fellowship in the 2000s. She looked forward to her Sundays at New Community Bible Fellowship where she developed new-found friendships and enjoyed listening to Pastor Kevin James preach the word.

Mildred Brown, 92, passed away peacefully on April 13, 2026. Mildred was a loving Mother, Grandmother, Sister and Aunt. She found her greatest happiness being surrounded with family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Arthur and Lillie Wilder; brothers Will Smith, Neal Smith, and Elmer Wilder, all of Georgia; sisters Willa Mae Dawkins of Detroit, Michigan, and Beulah Davis and Everlena Hart of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Mildred is survived by children Beverly McCoy, James Lewis (Sally), Carmen Lewis (Edward Carnes), and Darlene Lewis; grandchildren Antonio McCoy (Krystal), Jamice Lewis, Ryan Lewis (Latoyia), and TyRon Morrow; great-grandchildren Joshua Jones, Antonio McCoy Jr, Josiah Bethea, Angelo McCoy, Alia McCoy, Ace Lewis, and Logan Lewis; great-great grandson Jackson McCoy; and goddaughter Deborah Smith. She is also survived by siblings Timothy Wilder of Roanoke, Alabama, Mary Thompson of Lagrange, Georgia, and Leola Thompson; along with a host of nieces, nephews, and friends.

Mildred will be fondly remembered for her love of dancing and cooking. Her humor, strength and compassion left a lasting impression on everyone she knew. Her memory will live on in the hearts of everyone that knew her.

2 Corinthians 5:8: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Services will be held Thursday, April 23, at 11:00 AM at New Community Bible Fellowship Church, 3557 Washington Blvd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118, where the family will receive friends from 10:30-11:00.