Gram Irene's friend Millie Corea

My mom, Joyce Parker Orshoski, always told me that her maternal grandmother, whom I knew as "Gram Irene," had two dear friends named Millie. Millie Corea had black hair, and Millie Murphy had red hair. Pictured above is Millie Corea with her husband Anthony "Tony" Corea. All I knew about Millie Corea was that she lived in California, and she was a good friend of Gram Irene. I decided to try to learn more about black haired Millie. In Family Search, I quickly found a marriage record for Anthony Corea and Mildred Jane Turner.

Anthony John Corea, age 27, a native of Italy, married Mildred Jane Turner, age 36, and born in Ohio; in Los Angeles, California, on October 31, 1958. The couple stated that it was a second marriage for both of them. Anthony's occupation was shoe repairer, and  Mildred stated that she was a saleslady. Anthony's parents were: Alexander Corea and Pasqualina D'Anglo. Mildred's parents were: David Turner and Rebecca Elmas.

Having determined the names of Millie's parents, I decided to try to locate her in the census. In 1920, Mildred Turner, age 9, was residing in Richland County, Ohio, with her parents, David and Rebecca Turner, along with her younger brothers Jack and Maxie Turner. By the year 1930, Mildred Turner, age 19, was living in Cleveland, Ohio, with just her mother, Rebecca Turner, and younger brother Jack. Millie's father and youngest brother were no longer listed with the family unit.

My great grandmother, Irene Larkins Risko, passed away in 1961. After her death, Millie and Tony faithfully sent a Christmas card to our family in Ohio, from sunny California. Mom said that Millie had been brought up in the Jewish faith, but she also celebrated Christmas. In 1964, Millie came to Ohio to visit family and friends. Here is a picture of her taken at the Cleveland Airport.

Though I never knew Millie Corea very well, I always thought she was quite beautiful and sophisticated. I am not sure how my great grandmother met her, and how she happened to fall in love with a man from California. According the the California Death Index, Mildred Corea, born November 30, 1910, died in Los Angeles County, California, on August 29, 1993. Records at FindaGrave indicate that she was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles County, California. Millie Corea is still somewhat of a mystery lady, but I am very glad she was such a dear friend to Gram Irene.