Millie O. Gulish

Millie Ottoline Beyer Gulish, 98, of St. Petersburg, FL, passed away on October 6, 2012. Born in Charlbury, England, on November 28, 1913, her early childhood was spent in the Ontario section of Canada where she stayed with her father, Otto, and her younger brother, Jesse. Some of that time she and Jesse lived with the Sheguiandah Indians on the Manitoulin Islands. At 13, she and Jesse went to live with their mother, Harriet in the Clevelan, Ohio area where she graduated Mentor High School with honors and was on the debating and track teams. She attended Bowling Green College in Ohio and then took off with the road circus riding elephants and horses bareback. Millie left the circus in Nyack, NY. While there she worked in a hat factory and as a waitress at the Hob Nob and she met Jerry Mariano who was the father of her two daughters. Millie moved to Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, around 1937 and a couple of years later married Michael Gulish. They had a son in 1946 when Mike returned from the Pacific arena of World War II. After the death of her beloved husband in 1950, Millie raised her three children by herself cleaning houses, working at The Graham School and St. Christopher's School and finally as a clerk at the Hastings Public Library. Over the years in Hastings, she took in many young people whose lives needed a guiding hand. Among them was Richard Kelderhouse who always said that Millie was his true mother and she taught him about everything that was right in life. She moved to St. Petersburg in 1970 to take care of her mother for about eight years. She was a devoted mother, fantastic cook, creative knitter and seamstress, consistent letter writer, avid reader until she lost her sight to macular degeneration at which time she devoured talking books and enjoyed vacations with her family and grandchildren be it camping or a cruise. Millie is survived by her daughters, Myrna Gulish and Connie Gulish Bliss and her son, Michael; three grandchildren: Allyson Bliss, Laurie (Curt) Bliss-Wyka, and Christopher Bliss; and one great granddaughter, Katie Wyka. She was definitely a woman who lived by her own terms-never took a handout from anyone and always had an open door for family or friends in need. A family service will be held at a later date at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.