Obituary of Mildred Lucille Secular

Mildred Lucille Vance Secular, beloved wife of Sidney Secular of Silver Spring, MD, sister of Lucretia Gilmer of Bristol, VA; sister of Claude Vance, Jr. of Kingsport, TN; aunt to Sandra Vance of Johnson City, TN and aunt to Linda Streeter of Woodstock, GA was born on February 14, 1926 and passed away on June 18, 2013. She was a descendant of the O'Dell and Vance families, the first White colonists to settle in Eastern TN in the 1700s. From then until now, these families have been community leaders and educators. Mildred(Millie) was a charming Southern belle who grew to love big city life without losing her "down-home" wholesomeness. She graduated from Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, VA in 1949, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art, excelling in figure sketching. She was a middle school teacher in the Nashville, TN public schools before moving to DC, where she became a cartographer with the federal government in the pre-computer era when steadiness of hand determined the quality of one's work. As an artist, she could paint brilliantly in many eclectic styles and was a top student at the Corcoran School of Art. She loved entomology, and she was always ahead of her time in fashion, music, and cultural tastes, and loved to dance. She was a passionate hiker with the Wanderbirds Hiking Club where she met her husband, Sidney. They married on October 31, 1969. She eventually became active in Conservative political circles and animal rights and environmental groups. She and Sidney traveled extensively to add to their insect collection and pursue interests in entomology, biology, and the Earth Sciences. A memorial service celebrating Mildred's life will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2013 between 2 PM and 4 PM at the Rapp Funeral Home, 933 Gist Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, telephone number 301-565-4100.. The venerable Father Alister Carroll Anderson, graduate of The Citadel and the US Naval Academy, a retired US Army Chaplain who served with units during WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War that received innumerable service medals will officiate at this event. Father Anderson has served as Chaplain-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans(SCV) and has given innumerable presentations at SCV events in recent years. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the CofCC, P.O. Box 221683, St. Louis, MO 63122. Online condolences may be made at: www.rappfuneral.com