Mildred Richards

Mildred Ruth Luft Richards passed away December 9, 2020 in Aurora, Colorado. Mildred was born February 5, 1933 to Freidrich and Amalia (Hallmuth) Luft in Sterling, Colorado. She attended Sterling schools, graduating from Sterling High School.

She married Donald Joe Richards and became the mother of two daughters, Valerie Jo and Renae Ruth Richards. In 1962, Joe died in a boating accident.

Mildred remarried in 1967 to Calvin (Gene) Fish and joined her husband in the operation of Fish's Pharmacy in Sterling. Gene died in an automobile accident three years later.

She then moved to Greeley to join the Monfort Corporate Finance Division. Two years later, she accepted the position of Chief Financial Officer for Memorial Osteopathic Hospital. Shortly after, she became Chief Executive Officer, which gave her the distinction of being the first Colorado female hospital administrator who was not a Catholic Sister. Mildred served in various capacities of the Colorado Hospital Association and was invited by the American Hospital Association to be a Goodwill Ambassador to hospitals in Australia and New Zealand; co-authoring a white paper about the Australian Flying Doctor Service. When serving the TONACK Osteopathic Hospital Administrators Association, she was presented the Outstanding Service Award. Mildred was elected to the National Osteopathic Hospital Association Board of Directors and was re-elected for seven terms. In conjunction with the sale of the hospital, her article, "The Acquisition Experience," was published in the Osteopathic Hospital magazine and achievements were also published in Colorado's 'Who's Who."

She moved to Aurora in 1985 to direct the administrative start-up of Oakhurst Towers, a multi-services retirement community in Southeast Denver and served as the administrator for five years. She then accepted a new position of business and operations manager for a large multi-physician corporation of surgeons. She remained there for a number of years followed by two years as a start-up operations manager of Gadrian Corporation; a physician credentials verification organization, which is a subsidiary of Colorado Physicians Insurance Company.

Mildred was a member of Epsilon Iota Chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta International Academic Fraternity at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Upon retirement, Mildred became an active volunteer with the Aurora Senior Police Academy and was also a member of All Saints Lutheran Church.

She is survived by her daughter Renae Richards of Aurora, Granddaughter Lindsey Hettinger, fiance' Nate Layboum and her children Lauren and Alex Lorenzo of Sterling; Grandson Lance Hettinger of Atwood.

Preceding Mildred were her parents Friedrich and Amalia Luft, two husbands; Joe Richards and Gene Fish. Sister, Lydia Meyerholz; four brothers, Alex, Fred Jr., Edward and Harry Luft. Daughter, Valerie Hettinger and Son-in-law Dennis Hettinger.

Graveside services will be held in Sterling, at Riverside Cemetery on December 17, 2020 at 1pm., with Pastor Dan Hays officiating.