Whitley County KyArchives Obituaries.....Evans , Mildred January 5, 2007
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Carole DiSanto patcher42@comcast.net April 17, 2007, 8:28 am

Journal Newspapers Westland, Wayne Co.  Michigan 
Longtime community ‘watchdog’ dies at 90
Meghan Chatham
Staff Writer 

With a keen interest in the way local government operates, Mildred Evans 
served as an unofficial guardian of Westland for years. 

Though health complications prevented Mrs. Evans in recent years from 
attending many of the public meetings she enjoyed, she remained ever vigilant 
in her search for those taking advantage of the system or harming the 
community she loved.

On Friday, the 90-year-old Mrs. Evans was discovered dead in her home.

Born and raised in Kentucky, her son said that Mrs. Evans moved to Michigan in 
the 1940s, when World War II made it easy for her family to find work. 

After moving to what was then Nankin Township, Mrs. Evans eventually found her 
real love: local politics.

“She was very fiery, but loving, too,” said her son, Larry Evans. “If you 
confronted her, you better have your facts straight.”

He said that Mrs. Evans had jumped into the role of concerned citizen whole-
heartedly and that she had regularly attended meetings of the Westland City 
Council “since the 60s.”

“City council was her hobby,” said Evans. “She was always there. She loved the 
confrontation, but then on the other hand she also cared for the meek. She 
always loved the underdog.”

According to Westland City Council President Charles Pickering, Mrs. Evans was 
a well-known sight to at the meetings even before he began his political 
career 40 years ago. When the council meetings became televised and even 
residents who didn’t attend meetings had a chance to see Mrs. Evans in action, 
she became a well-known figure to those outside the world of politics.

“I think she was an icon,” Pickering said. 

When health concerns forced Mrs. Evans to give up attending meetings more than 
a year ago, Pickering said that it quickly became apparent how much the 
general public identified her with the city council.

“They appreciated her being there,” he said. “People would walk up to me at 
the grocery store and ask, ‘How’s Millie?’ or ‘Where’s Millie?’” 

Part of her appeal, he said, was that Mrs. Evans spoke out to ensure that 
public safety, the safety of children, and the well-being of the community 
remained at the forefront of officials’ minds. 
“She was very consistent,” said Pickering. “Her overall concern was that we 
have to take care of our children.”

He noted that she had an ability to get people to talk about an issue that, 
combined with her efforts to reach out to diverse sources, often meant that 
whomever she was speaking with learned something new through her. 

Still, he said, by the end of the day the detailed information she would 
collect meant that sometimes “she would end up having more information than 
any of us.”

“That was pretty uncanny,” he said. 

Even after she stopped attending meetings regularly, Mrs. Evans worked hard to 
remain up-to-date on the issues.

“Every day, I had an message on my phone,” said Pickering.

Funeral services were Monday at Uht Funeral Home in Westland. Interment was at 
Briar Creek Cemetery in Williamsburg, KY. 





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