Mary Lou Gundhus Millar

Mary Lou Gundhus Millar of Long Beach, CA, died Monday the 9th of December at Bixby Knolls Tower Nursing Home.

Born on June 1, 1929 in Rockford, Illinois, at an early age her family moved to nearby Cherry Valley where she lived until high school when the family moved back to Rockford. She graduated from East Rockford High School in 1947. She continued her education at Rockford College receiving her degree in 1951 and was an active member of the alumni association and their board of directors.

During WWII Mary Lou worked in a factory fabricating parts to support the war effort. In 2010 her name was engraved in the Long Beach Rosie The Riveter Park and she served with other "Rosie The Riveter's" as Grand Marshals in the Long Beach Veteran's Day Parade. Later Mary Lou worked as a Lab Technician and was a member of American Society of Clinical Pathologists as a Medical Technologist. She continued that career until starting a family in 1954.

Since 1960 Mary Lou's family moved to and has lived in Long Beach, CA. She is preceded in death by her son Mark Gundhus 1991 and husband Reidar Gundhus 1995. She is survived by her son John Gundhus, Daughter-In-Law Renee Gundhus, husband Ben Millar who she married in 1997, Grand Children: Rachel Roberts Stoker, Trevor Millar, Olivia Millar, Hayden Millar, Katie Gundhus and Kristi Gundhus and one Great Grandson Max Stoker.

Mary Lou loved serving others through many organizations including: Daughters of the American Revolution where she served in many roles including CA State Regent; The Assistance League of Long Beach; The Scholarship Committee for CSULB, and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church Sunday School teacher and member of the Rachel Circle for over 25 years as well as a member of the Church Choir.

Mary Lou also loved researching her genealogy and traced her ancestry back many centuries. Besides the DAR, she was a member of: Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plantagenet Society, Cherry Valley Historical Society, National Society Magna Charta Dames, The Pilgrim Hopkins Heritage Society, The Sovereign Colonial Society of Americans of Royal Descent, The Sovereign and Regal Court: Colonial Order of the Crown of Charlemagne and The Society of the Descendants of the Knights of the most Noble Order of the Garter.

Funeral services will be held at 12:30 pm on December 18, 2019 at Cypress Forest Lawn with the Reverend Drue Boles of Parkcrest Christian Church presiding.