Millard Gee

George Millard Gee, the son of George Washington and Matilda Hetzel Gee was born May 17, 1908 on the family farm in Deer Creek Township, rural Mills County, IA. Millard's grandparents both came to Iowa from Tennessee to Illinois in the 1870 and 1880's as they homesteaded in Fremont County, Iowa. Millard attended the Glynn Country School just south of the family's home. He graduated from Strahan High School in 1925. He did not attend any additional formal education, but continually read and studied all new research and farming practice information. In the mid-1940's he was one of the first to construct terraces and plant on the contour with his row crops. Millard was a grain and livestock farmer for his entire life; and lived on the family farm all of his career with the exception of seven crop years when Esther and he lived on the Otto Mass Farm north of Malvern. In 1943, they returned to the family farm after the death of Millard's father. They purchased the farm and were the second generation to live and farm the Gee land of Deer Creek Township. He had previously farmed with his brother, Clinton. During the past 46 years, his son, Alvin, has farmed with Millard a...[more]

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later the family farm business. The livestock portion of the operation was his preference. Millard really never had any hobbies so farming and feeding cattle were his life. He would feed any color of cattle that he could see a profit; he really didn't have a favorite breed. For many, many years, Millard could be found at livestock auctions both locally and as far as St. Joseph or Maryville, MO, and Omaha, NE. He knew the cost basis, could estimate weight, and could calculate whether that animal could pass the break even. This was all done without the aid of pencil, paper or calculator as the cattle passed though the sale ring. He attended local auctions for as long as his health would allow. He would do a lot of his own trucking using his pick up with the wooden stock rack. He told of the time a beef animal fell from the pick up and was corralled in the bulk gasoline storage plant near the south Omaha bridge road. It was later reloaded to travel home through the bluffs via the curvy US 275. Millard never knew a stranger and would hold lengthy conversations with anyone willing to listen. He told the grandchildren stories of his childhood and "how it was...."; there was always a story to tell. Millard met Esther Rosenau, a Strahan High School teacher, at a Church League Party at the Strahan Methodist Church. They went together three years and were married on May 16, 1931, at the Methodist parsonage in Strahan. They lived in the Gee family home for a month and fixed up the "house over north" where Alvin and Karen Gee now live. Their first child, Donald Millard, was born at home May 27, 1935. In 1937, the Gees moved north of Malvern where Alvin Allen was born September 5, 1939. Millard was a member of the Strahan United Methodist Church beginning as a young man. He often described the digging of the basement of the church. Horses and dump scoops were used to aid the men in removing and hauling the dirt away. The Strahan UMW recognized him in 1988 with a Special Mission Recognition Pin. He often told that this was special to him "as not many men received this pin." Millard served as township trustee, school board member at Strahan, and also worked with the organizational financial committee of the Nishna Valley Comm. School District in the early 1960's. He was recognized as a 50-Year member of the Masonic Humanity Lodge, No. 378, A.F. & A.M, Emerson, IA in 1995. Millard and Esther remained in their own home until June 2004 when they moved to the Garden View Care Center, Shenandoah, IA. They celebrated their 73rd Wedding Anniversary on May 16, 2004. Both were very proud of this milestone. Millard died on October 17, 2004, at the Garden View Care Center, Shenandoah, IA having attained the age of 96 years, 5 months, 0 days.. This was just 36 days after Esther's death on September 11th. His parents, George and Matilda Gee; sister, Ruth M. Miller; brother, Clinton D. Gee; half sisters, Jessie P., and infant Maggie; and son, Donald Gee also preceded Millard in death. He is survived by his son, Alvin Gee and wife, Karen of rural Imogene; daughter-in-law, Virginia Gee; of Des Moines; and grandchildren, Lorrie and husband, Steve Woolery, of Pella; Steven and wife, Geraldine Gee, Denver, CO; Kevin Gee, Imogene; Kathy and husband, Ronald Moen, Decorah; and Kristy and her husband, David York, Carroll. Also surviving are five great grandchildren include--Hannah and Dana Woolery, Abby Moen, Katie and Bryan York; nephews and other relatives and friends.