Obituary of Mildred L. Mikel

Passed on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at age 77.

Mildred L. Mikel was born August 5, 1945 in Neptune, New Jersey. She was born to parents Simon Jones Sr. and Annie Mae Reeves. She is predeceased by her husband of 49 years, Hercules Mikel (2015), her son Charles E. Mikel (2019), and her five brothers and one sister. Mildred is survived by two children Roxanne Mikel and Herschel L. Mikel (Crystal Mikel), and three grandchildren Tiffany A. Mikel, Andre H. Mikel, and Maria I. Mikel. Mildred was raised by her parents and grandmother in Sanford, Florida until 1958 when she moved to Rochester, New York to live with her brother, Aaron Jones and his family. She attended East High School and married Hercules Mikel on August 17, 1963.

Mildred was licensed home daycare provider for many years, then worked for Wegmans as a cashier. She graduated in 1995 at Rochester Business Institute with an Associate’s degree in Accounting. After getting her accounting degree she went to work for HSBC bank for some time. Mildred retired from Wegmans after 16 years of service, and enrolled at Empire State College graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice. She loved law and politics, and wanted to further her education to go to law school to become a lawyer. After receiving her degree she worked for Literacy of Rochester as a math and reading tutor for adults and immigrants for a short time.

Some of Mildred’s community work, hobbies, and activities involved being a Sabbath school teacher and deaconess at the Jefferson Avenue Seventh Day Adventist church. She sung in the choir at Mount Vernon Baptist church. Mildred also joined the Parent Teachers Association as a treasurer for two years, was an elections inspector for the Monroe County Elections Board. She started the first Jones Family Reunion in 1983 in Rochester, New York bringing family together from all over the country. Mildred loved her family and her friends. She enjoyed talking to people, was an amazing cook and baker, a lover of classical music, she played the piano, enjoyed gardening and watching old western movies. She also was an avid reader, loved reading history, and telling stories from her childhood.