Mildred Terhark Garbers

MILDRED IDA (JOHNSON) TERHARK GARBERS was born on October 17, 1929 to Earl and Pearl (Dyslin) Johnson on the family farm in Murray County, Minnesota. Growing up, Millie attended country school before moving to the Balaton Public School in Balaton, Minnesota. Millie graduated from Balaton in 1947 and moved with her family to a farm by Rock Lake. On January 26, 1949, Millie was united in marriage to Stewart Terhark in the Presbyterian Church in Balaton. The young couple then moved to the Terhark family farm near Ruthton, and remained there until 1958, when the family moved to a farm in Drammen Township near Lake Benton, Minnesota. Over the course of their marriage, the couple was blessed with six children and many happy memories. After a prolonged battle with ALS, Stewart passed away on July 3, 1991. Millie continued to live on the farm. On December 26, 1997, Millie married her longtime friend, Arnold Garbers. After their marriage, Millie moved to Arnold’s farm in rural Lake Benton. The couple enjoyed the summers in Lake Benton while they spent their winters in Yuma, Arizona. Millie remained on the Garbers farm until 2014, when she moved to the Lakeview Senior Housing in Balaton. Due to a fall, Millie was taken to the Avera Regional Medical Center in Marshall, Minnesota. Millie passed away there on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at the age of 89 years, two months, and 23 days.

Millie was a member of the First Baptist Church in Lake Benton and thoroughly enjoyed attending Bible Study and volunteering for the Vacation Bible School, which she often brought her grandchildren to. Throughout the years, Millie was a devoted farm wife, helping both Stewart and Arnold with the chores. Arnold and Millie enjoyed travelling during their marriage, travelling to Alaska and going on bus tours to various places. While she was still able, Millie greatly enjoyed needlework and being able to cook and bake for her family members. One of her greatest joys was sharing stories about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is lovingly remembered by her six children, Steven (JoAnn) Terhark of De Land, Illinois, Cheryl (Mike) Tomschin of Springfield, Minnesota, Colleen (Paul) Brouwer of Blomkest, Minnesota, Pamela (Myron) Drietz of Backus, Minnesota, Bradley (Lorie) Terhark of Willow Lake, South Dakota, and James (Lori) Terhark of Litchfield, Minnesota; 18 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; one sister, Mable Braband of Balaton; sister in law, Harriet Altman of Willmar, Minnesota; brother in law, Henry (Lavina) Terhark of Maple Grove, Minnesota; and many other loving friends and family members. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Stewart and Arnold; two infant daughters; her parents; two brothers, Orison and Burch Johnson; and several brothers and sisters in law.