Mildred Lois (Burkett) Schell, 96, of Hendersonville, NC, passed away on June 16, 2022, at the Life Care Center at Lake Pointe Landing following an extended illness.
Mildred “Milly” Schell was born to James and Rae Llewellyn (Jenkins) Burkett, on July 30, 1925, in the small town of Mayport, PA. The second child of the Burkett family, she spent most of her young life in and around Clarion County, PA, surrounded by much of her family. As a young woman, Milly would eventually go to work for her future father-in-law and there she would go on to meet her future husband, Robert James Schell in 1947. They were married on November 23, 1949, and would spend 56 years together before his passing in May 2006. They originally lived in Clymer, PA, and would eventually move to Arlington, VA in the late 1950s and would stay there until 2004, when they sold their home and moved to Hendersonville, NC.
Milly would provide childcare from her home for several years, and then, had various jobs, including working for the Arlington County School system in Food Services, JCPenney, and the Registrar’s Office of the Foreign Service Institute, a division of the US State Department, where she retired in 1987.
Milly was a Christian and spent many years attending the First Baptist Church of Clarendon in Arlington, VA. She also enjoyed spending time with her family, and after retiring, spent many hours, along with her husband, researching their genealogies and family histories. She also loved her precious felines, sewing, gardening, and performing with the “Merry Makers”, a senior performing group in Arlington, VA.
Milly is survived by her 3 sons & their families: James Robert and Herminia (Turner) Schell of Fredericksburg, VA; William Elwood and Debora (Quinn) Schell of Fenwick Island, DE; Barron Siegfried and Billie (Dalton) Schell of Horse Shoe, NC. 6 grandchildren: Zachary Schell, Joshua Schell, Nicole Schell, Jennifer Johnson, Raquel Leyton, and Alexis Gutierrez. 9 great-grandchildren: Cameron Schell, Edwin Lee Leyton, Joshua Leyton, Aidan Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Dylan Gutierrez, Jade Gutierrez, Jimena Gutierrez, and Sandra Gutierrez. 1 great-great-grandchild, Teodoro Leyton. She is also survived by 2 sisters, Jane Shuttleworth of Kittanning, PA, and Margie Beckert of Annapolis, MD.
Funeral services will be held on July 7th, 2022 in the chapel of Forest Lawn Funeral Home located at 538 Tracy Grove Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am, followed by the Funeral Services at 11:00 am, with Interment immediately following the service. A reception will follow the services at Shaws Creek Baptist Church located at 91 Shaws Creek Church Road, Hendersonville, NC 28739.
Any correspondence may be mailed to Barry Schell, PO Box 14, Horse Shoe, NC 28742.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Blue Ridge Humane Society, 100-B Chadwick Square Court, Hendersonville, NC 28739.