Mildred Louise Wheeler Flanders, age 91, longtime resident of Menemsha, died on Monday, Oct. 12 while a resident of Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Mildred was born on Oct. 10, 1918 to Millard and Hattie Wheeler of New Bedford. In 1940 she graduated from Bridgewater State Teacher’s College. After graduation she started teaching in the Menemsha School and was its principal. She went on to teach in the New Bedford, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett school systems.

During Mildred’s time in Menemsha she met her future husband, Robert N. Flanders Jr., a local fisherman and carpenter. They were married on August 8, 1941 and after her husband came home from World War II they established a home in Mattapoisett. Their family grew; first two boys, then a girl and then two more boys. They moved back to Menemsha in 1969, where they could both share their love of the sea. They were married for over 66 years until Bob’s death in February 2008.

Mildred was a woman of strong faith and one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She regularly attended meetings at the Kingdom Hall and could be often seen going from door to door proclaiming a message of comfort and hope for the future that she found in the Bible.

Mildred is survived by her four sons, one daughter and their spouses. Laurence and Lynn of Linville, Va.; Robert and Anna of Dillon, S.C.; Luisann and Frederick Bollin of Vineyard Haven; Frank and Vivian of West Tisbury; and Carl and Sherry of Menemsha. She also leaves 16 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

The memorial service for Mildred will be held on Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on State Road in West Tisbury.