Mildred Dreier Teaney, widow of J. Leland Teaney of Teaney’s Grocery, passed away on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Mildred was born October 25, 1923 in York County, Nebraska, near McCool Junction, to Ruth (Reed) and Frank W. Dreier. At an early age she went to live with her aunt and uncle Dorothea (Dreier) and Orville Jacks. She grew up on farms around Fairmont, Nebraska, attending one room schools from grade 1 to grade 8. Mildred was the Valedictorian for the Fairmont High School class of 1941. Mildred was attending Hastings Business College, Hastings, NE when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. She had a strong desire to help in the war effort, took the Civil Service Exam for clerk stenographer and in January of 1942 traveled to Washington DC. She was assigned to an agency called the War Production Board, a materials facilitator responsible for keeping wartime companies supplied with metal materials and served as a secretary. While there she met Navy Corpsman James L. Teaney and attended a ball game at Griffith Stadium, with Bob Feller pitching for the Army. They were married in the “Little Church around the Corner” in New York City on July 24, 1943. In 1945, following the end of the war, “Leland”, as he was known in Aurora, returned stateside and joined the D.B. Teaney Sons Grocery, working as meat manager, and later becoming a partner. They settled in Aurora, had two daughters, Diane and Janice and spent their lives in Aurora. Mildred’s prime purpose in life, was her family.
They enjoyed attending the Cincinnati Reds baseball games as well as local high school basketball games. They took vacations to Mildred’s home state of Nebraska, as well as Colorado, Georgia, and Virginia, which is where Diane lived. They also took bus tours through the US and Canada, as well as Caribbean cruises and trips to Florida in the winter.
As Mildred’s daughters grew, she belonged to the PTA, Girl Scouts, Music Parents, and was a charter member of the Dearborn County Council for Exceptional Children (now Dearborn Co. ARC) holding offices in that organization for many years. Mildred was a member of the Theta Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Psi Sorority for 55 years, serving as President several times, as well as other offices. For many years, she was a “pen pal” in the RSVP program. A supporter of Hillforest, she served as a docent a number of years receiving the Docent of the Year Award, the Hillforest Volunteer of the Year in 2001 and also the Award of the Rose (Tourism Council of Greater Cincinnati in 1999). She was a loyal member of the First Baptist Church of Aurora, having attended there since 1946.
Mildred especially enjoyed sewing, decorating her home, working in the yard, music, baking and reading.
Mildred was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, James Leland Teaney; daughter, Diane Teaney; her parents, aunt and uncle, four brothers and two sisters.
She is survived by her daughter, Janice Lynn, two sisters, one sister-in-law, and nieces and nephews.
She leaves Janice in the care of her dear friends, Sally Beckley, Terry Doerr, Cathleen Newmann and Cynthia Rottinghaus.
Friends will be received on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 11 am until time of service at 1 pm at the Rullman Hunger Funeral Home. Pastor Bill Secrest will be officiating.
Contributions in memory of Mildred may be made to Hillforest Historical Society, The First Baptist Church of Aurora, or Charity of Choice.