Marlborough – Our beloved matriarch, Mildred Lindsey Harvey, 88, passed peacefully on Feb. 1, 2021 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s and a brief battle with COVID-19. Mildred was born March 28, 1932 in Bainbridge, Ga., to Fannie Mae Jones and Sidney Lindsey.
As a child, she spent time at home with her elders, listening to stories, learning their recipes, and absorbing their life lessons which she would later pass down to future generations. Her faith, which would serve as her foundation throughout her life, was established early as she attended bible study and sang hymns at her “home church” the First African Missionary Baptist Church of Bainbridge and later continued at the First Baptist Church of Marlborough.
With a firm belief in the importance of education instilled in her by her mother, aunts and uncles, Mildred strove to excel and make the most of every opportunity afforded to her. She graduated from Hutto High School in Bainbridge, GA in 1950 and went on to attend prestigious Historical Black Colleges Clark University in Atlanta, and Xavier University of Louisiana.
She held several administrative and secretarial positions throughout her career, but the great work of her life would be serving as the emotional and spiritual anchor of her family and home.
In October 1961, she married the love of her life, Richard Harvey. Affectionately referring to each other as “Mil and Harv,” they enjoyed 53 years of marriage before his passing in 2014. They exemplified a deep and abiding respect, affection and partnership that was a pillar of strength for the family and a love for the ages.
To know “Millie,” as her friends affectionately called her, was to love her. Her quick wit, humor and warmth made everyone around her feel immediately at ease. A deep listener, sage advisor and unrivaled storyteller, she soothed worries, uncomplicated woes, and lightened the loads of all who sought her counsel. Her open heart and open arms provided a place of solace and refuge. A generous and thoughtful person, Mildred shared her time and means freely, helping family and friends near and far in their deepest times of need.
Millie was also a fun-loving soul. An avid Boston Celtics fan, she spent decades watching every televised game, cheering, coaching and (every so often when they deserved it) booing “her boys.” She enjoyed cooking large meals for her multi-generational family, entertaining friends, playing card games, telling stories and spending quieter afternoons singing hymns.
She moved through the world with dignity, intelligence, humor and grace. Her legacy will live on in the hearts, minds, and deeds of all those who loved her.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Harvey of Marlborough; sister Mary Frances Lindsey of Lewisdale, Md.; and brother Sidney Lindsey Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.
She is survived by her daughter, Sharonee Dallis Clapper and husband Terry of Marlborough, and daughter Marcelyn Dallis Jones and husband Kevin of Norwich, Conn.; six grandchildren, Dana Dallis of Marlborough, Seb Dallis and his wife Jessica of Northborough, Isis Dallis and her wife Christie Gimpel of Sacramento, Calif., Adam Clapper of Marlborough, and Jermale and Jermaine Jones of Norwich, Conn.; four great-grandchildren, Jaiden and Jasmine Dallis of Northborough and Sienna and Olivia Keigwin of Sacramento, Calif.; cousins, Donald Jones of Carlsbad, CA and Dena Jones of Charlotte, N.C., as well as a host of long-time family friends and admirers.
A private funeral service is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m., at the Slattery Funeral Home on Pleasant Street, Marlborough, followed immediately by interment at Evergreen Cemetery on Wilson Street, Marlborough, where she will be laid to rest alongside her beloved “Harv.” A public celebration of life will be announced by the family and held at a future date when it is safe to do so.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that loved ones pay tribute to Mildred by extending a small act of kindness or service to someone in need of encouragement or connection. Additionally, donations can be made directly to the First Baptist Church of Marlborough in memory of Mildred Harvey.
