Mildred V Nikolin

Mildred V. Nikolin
December 29, 1918-February 10, 2013

Mildred Vukmirovich Nikolin formerly of Youngstown, was born December 1918.   She graduated from McDonald High School second in her class and was the Ohio State Champion in French and Latin.  She received a scholarship to attend The Ohio State University where she majored in Journalism and French.
After graduation she wrote under the pen name of Valor for the Girard newspaper and Niles Times newspaper owned by the Wick Brothers.  She received numerous awards for her articles and poetry.  In 1938, the American Srbobran published her poetry and she met her future husband, William "Bill" Nikolin, Editor of the English section. In 1943, she went to work in the Ravenna Ordnance Plant to support the war effort.  Her three brothers and fiance Bill were in U.S. Army and Navy fighting on the war front.  In November of 1945, when Bill was discharged from the Army, they were married and Bill entered The Ohio State University to work on his Ph.D. In 1947, Bill joined the U.S. Department of State as a diplomat with his first assignment being in Belgrade.  While overseas Mildred was a Gray Lady for the American Red Cross in Munich at the U.S. Army Hospital psychiatric ward and President of the welcoming committee for new arriving families on rotation.  In 1972, after 25 years in Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria, Canada, Australia and Okinawa, Mildred returned to Youngstown with the family. Mildred was a member of Old Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Austintown. In 1989, she was President of the Circle of Serbian Sisters.  Outliving Bill, she moved to Houston to live with her daughter. Mildred leaves behind her daughters, Mia Hamilton of Houston, Gabrielle (Bill Bailey) Nikolin of Dallas, Jennifer (Paul) Meyer of Bath, OH; her cousins Sylvia Vukmirovich, Evelyn Shuput, Helen Mazian of Detroit; her grandchildren Bryan Parker and Jennifer Hamilton of Hollywood, CA; her God-daughter Jessica Moore, of Hollywood, CA; and her great-granddaughter Stella Courrege of Richardson, TX, five step-grandchildren, Joan Meyer of Washington D.C., Stefan Meyer of Kent, OH, and Jack, Lily, and Jules of Akron, OH. The Funeral Service will be held on Friday February 15, 2013 at 1:00 pm at the Old Holy Serbian Orthodox Church 420 N. Raccoon Rd. Austintown, OH. Family will receive relatives and friends one hour prior to service at the church. In lieu of flowers family request that material contributions be made to the church. Visit www.blackstonefuneralhome.com to view this obituary and send condolences to the Nikolin family.