Mildred Jean Richardson, 75, of Scranton, North Dakota passed away on Friday, April 1st, 2022, at Peppi's TMC Hospice in Tucson, Arizona. Funeral services for Millie will be held at Peace Lutheran Church in Scranton on Friday, April 8th at 1pm. Pastor Mary will lead the service to celebrate Millie's life. Following the service, a luncheon for friends and family will be held at the Scranton Community Center. After the luncheon, we will lay Millie to rest at the Haley cemetery.

Millie was born on the twenty third of October 1946, in Miles City, Montana. She grew up on the family farm near Haley, North Dakota. Millie's primary education was completed in a country school. She graduated from Scranton High School in 1964. She then pursued higher education at Dickinson State University, where she earned her baccalaureate in education with teaching endorsements in library sciences, as well as teaching English at a secondary level. Millie moved frequently in her career of education, primarily working on Native American reservations in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Throughout her career, Millie had the privilege of working with and influencing a plethora of young students.

While teaching in Baker, Montana in 1980, Millie met the love of her life and best friend, Sidney Richardson. They married on January 14th, 1981, and welcomed their first-born son, Harrison, 4 years later. Harrison was born July 16th, 1985 - coincidentally at the same hospital both Millie and Sid were born. After Harrison's birth, Millie took a brief break from her career of education to work for the fish wildlife and parks, but that did not last long for her huge, loving heart pulled her back to education in 1987. She continued on as an educator until the year 2008.

After Sid's retirement in 2012, Millie and Sid began their adventures as nomads. For a decade, she had the liberty of bringing her retirement dreams to fruition - traveling with her loving husband of 41 years. She and Sid spent their time on the road chasing warm weather, visiting friends and family, and taking in the beautiful scenery each new adventure had to offer. During her travels, Millie visited 40 US States, 3 States in Mexico, and 1 Providence in Canada. Millie was a genuine nomad, or as the Blackfoot would call it a'písttotsi: semi nomadic looking for the next camp. Even after her passing, Millie endured one final adventure to her eternal resting place at the Haley Cemetery.

Millie was a kind and caring soul and was known for taking in "strays" as she called them. From fostering and adopting children, to creatures both large and small. She would spend her spare time on the internet looking at dogs, cats, horses, and even children that needed a better home and opportunity. In 2001 Millie and Sid took in their youngest son, Kory, as a foster at the age of 12. They adopted Kory as their own shortly thereafter. Millie and Sid also took in Toni and cared for her as their daughter in 2002. Although she was kind, she was also a trickster; Millie loved to play tricks or crack jokes for her own benefit. This silly side of Millie would usually give way to her "million-dollar smile". Millie enjoyed sharing her passion for adventure and education and aimed to instill that passion into her children by encouraging them to continue to learn and explore. She was always ready for the next adventure.

Millie is survived by many family members who will miss her dearly: her husband, Sidney Richardson; her son Harrison (Krystle) Richardson, Colorado Springs, CO, and their sons (Aiden), Nova, and Harley; her daughter Toni Inthavong, Butte, MT, and her daughters Madison and Emerson; her son Kory (Melanie) Martin, Virginia Beach, VA, and their children Zayn, Lauryn and Zaidyn; her sister Debbie (David) Thomason, Bismarck, ND; her brother Dale (Merlene) Palczewski, Bowman, ND; her brother Dennis (Amy) Palczewski, Rapid City, SD; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who meant the world to her. Thank you all for being part of her wonderful life.