Mildred Miriam Rosenfeld

Mildred was born to Laura (Pick) and Louis Kodicek in Whiting, Indiana, March 31, 1918. She was the youngest of 6 children. Her siblings, Carrie (Kodicek) Appleman, Rudy, Lester, Walter and Edward Kodicek, all preceded her in death. She lost both of her parents within one year at the age of 17, and lived with her sister Carrie and her family until she graduated from college and married. Although none of her siblings had the opportunity to go to college, they used the small inheritance of their father to send Millie to college. She attended Indiana University in Bloomington, where she met her future husband Isadore Rosenfeld, and transferred to Purdue University majoring in Chemistry. Izzy was the true love of her life. They married on November 20, 1941, in Hammond, Indiana. Isadore preceded her in death in 1988. They lived in South Bend all their married life, raising their three children, LouAnn, Fred and Bob, in a loving and enriching household.
Before the birth of her children, Millie was a medical technician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago. She reentered the work force in 1959 at the University of Notre Dame Lobund Laboratories, where she was involved in one of the very first projects of stem cell research. She continued her career at Notre Dame working on cardiac research projects in the Bio Chemistry Department until all federal funding grants were withdrawn. She then became the head of Hematology Laboratory at the Osteopathic Hospital in South Bend until her retirement in 1987. Millie always had time for her children and their activities. She was Camp Fire Girl Leader, PTA President, Room Mother, and as always a frequent visitor to school, supporting all her children's activities.
In 1987 she retired to spend time with her ill husband. After his death she traveled around the world, spent winters in Florida and created a new life for herself. She played bridge every week, attended Forever Learning classes and always stayed current on the news, politics, and social media. In her 80's she played bridge online with people from around the globe. She was an avid reader, and at 97 still read a book or two each week on her Kindle.
She moved to the Waterford in 2007 where she resided until her death. There she became an advocate for the other residents regarding menu choices, social events and management issues. She continued to play bridge, scrabble, and kept up on current events until the time of her death. She made us promise that if she didn't live until November, we had to come and tell her who won the election. Her family was always her first priority. As the family gathered she would always say all this happened because two people fell in love.
She leaves behind too many friends to count; her three children and their spouses: Mort and LouAnn Dobbins of Granger, Fred and Muriel Rosenfeld of Island Heights, NJ, and Bob and Debbie Rosenfeld of Granger; seven grandchildren who knew her as "Ma": PJ Dobbins, Laura and Steve Corbett, Missy and Tommy Hatchett, Carolyn and Kenny Spero, Amy Berry, Shelly and Geoff Ringer, Aaron Rosenfeld and his fiancée Shanell Mailki; and nine great- grandchildren, who knew her as "Great Grandma Ma": Sara Dobbins, Alex Dobbins, Ian Corbett, Abby Corbett, Melissa Spero, Michael Spero, Grace Berry, Sam Ringer and Henry Ringer. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, that she regarded as a sister, Shirley Berebitsky; and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews and wonderful cousins. Millie died July 6, 2016 at the Waterford. The family appreciates the wonderful care Millie received from her special Hospice nurse Shelli.
The funeral will be at Temple Beth-El, 305 W. Madison Street, South Bend, IN 46601 at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, July 10, followed by burial at the Hebrew Orthodox Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations can be sent to Temple Beth-El, Rosenfeld Communication Fund, 305 West Madison Street, South Bend, IN 46601 or The Jewish Federation, 3202 Shalom Way, South Bend, IN 46615 or to the Center for Hospice Care, 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka, IN 46545.