Mildred Lilian Talbot

Mildred Lilian Talbot Age 84. Resided in Livonia, Michigan; went to be with the Lord on April 10, 2017. Cherished wife of William A. Talbot. Loving mother of Stephen (Karen), John (Nancy), James (Lisa) and Ruth (Donald) Cadoret. Adoring grandmother of Ryan, Elizabeth Hunt, Virginia Donohoe, Michael, Joseph, Carleton, Faith, Samuel, Jonathan, Scott, Lauren, Benjamin and Emma. Dear great-grandmother of Evelyn, Margaret, Edmund, Ada and Madison. Daughter of the late Edward and Mildred (Hamshere) Suett. Sister of the late Sheila (James) Wallis, Maureen (Richard) Sackett and Reginald (Corinne) Stewart; sister-in-law of Maureen (Robert) Alderman, all of Great Britain. Millie was born in Poplar, London, England on February 7, 1933 and was raised in Dagenham, Essex, U.K. As a six-year-old, she and her four-year-old twin sisters, Maureen and Sheila, were evacuated without their parents from the London area to the English countryside prior to the Battle of Britain. Because they refused to be separated from each other at the train station upon arrival, they were the last three children to be taken in by a local family. After a year, the girls were retrieved by their parents due to separation anxiety. The reunited family survived frequent German aerial raids in the safety of their backyard bomb shelter. Millie's childhood during wartime made an indelible impression on her life. As a young woman, Millie met a dashing young chap by the name of Bill Talbot. Bill was an aspiring electrician and rode a motorcycle he had restored in his parent's back room. He and Millie rode all over London together. They once took an uneventful spill and Bill picked up his bike before picking up Millie. Bill and Millie accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior on the same night in the Elim church in the town of East Ham; they were married in Dagenham, Essex on February 6, 1954. Because their wedding occurred one day prior to Millie's 21st birthday, her father needed to provide legal consent. Bill and Millie lived in Germany for three years while he served in the British Army. In 1958, they bid farewell to their families in England and sailed on the Queen Elizabeth to begin new lives in America. They barely had enough money to buy return tickets. Arriving to a party atmosphere and green-painted streets in New York City on St. Patrick's Day, they assumed Americans were always celebrating. Bill and Millie initially lived with dear friends David and Marie Griffiths in Detroit, who preceded them as immigrants from England. David and Marie gave Bill and Millie their start and helped Bill find employment through friends at church. The Talbot and Griffiths families bonded like cousins and spent most holidays together for many years since all their relatives remained in England. Millie cared for her children full-time in Detroit and later in Livonia, supporting Bill in his electrical career. In 1970, they purchased McGee Electric in Southfield and renamed the family business when they relocated to Livonia. At the time of her death, Millie was Corporate Secretary of The Talbot Corporation. Bill named his first small sailboat "Millie," but this did little to calm her fears of going overboard when the boat heeled over. Bill's solution was to purchase successively larger and more stable boats, all named "Sixpence" to identify with the six family members and their British heritage. Bill and Millie shared their love of sailing with others and considered this to be their informal ministry at Highland Park Baptist Church. Bill and Millie were prayer warriors who prayed for the needs of family and friends near and far. If they knew of a need or problem, it was certain they would take it to the Lord. Millie's humor is what she was best known for. Her wit and ability to laugh at herself made any situation better and always memorable. She passionately loved and protected her husband, children, their spouses, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Millie never missed a birthday or anniversary without sending a card to express her love. Over the years, she and Bill would find any excuse to have a family gathering and turn it into a party. Friends and acquaintances were always welcome at the Talbot house and Millie had a gift of making everyone feel special. With her flair for British hospitality, Millie loved to make tea, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. She remained very close to her brother in Wales and sisters in England—they would speak by phone frequently. She and Bill enjoyed traveling and visited Australia, New Zealand, England, Italy, Hawaii, Florida and the Caribbean. While on vacation in Mexico in 2005, they were evacuated from their hotel and survived the worst of Force 5 Hurricane Wilma for 11 days. The final days of Millie's life were filled with shared laughter, memories, family videos, music, singing, prayer and tearful goodbyes. Millie's family experienced great bonding during this difficult time and their very large number often overflowed her small hospital room into the corridor. The Talbot family is especially grateful to everyone at Beaumont Botsford Hospital who provided extraordinary care and compassion to their Nana. Millie was a remarkable mother to her four children and a loving wife to her husband of 63 years. She will be greatly missed by her family and hundreds of friends. Please share a memory of Millie by signing her guestbook. Funeral Home: R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Home and Cremation Services 15451 Farmington Rd. Livonia, MI US 48154