Millie (Rupcich) Zilka

Updated - August 28, 2024

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11 am, Friday, September 13, 2024 at the Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home, Inc., 809 Main Street, Bentleyville, PA 15314.

Mildred "Millie" Rupcich Zilka, 82, of Sanford, Florida, passed peacefully at the Orange City Skilled Nursing Facility on June 11, 2024.

Millie was born on September 15, 1941 in Bentleyville, to the late Matthew and Mildred Cunko Rupcich.

She graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1958 and worked at Robison's Bakery in Charleroi.

In November 1959, she married Bernard F. Zilka and together they owned and operated Zilka Flour Co. for many years. They resided in Monessen until their retirement to Florida.

She was a member of the Monessen Public Library, First Catholic Slovak Union, the Red Hats, and many other groups. She will be remembered as an expert seamstress, crocheter and for her kind and giving nature. She was also an avid reader and lover of all animals particularly her kitties, Baby, Bob, and Bella. Millie had a beautiful smile, never met a stranger, and all acquaintances became her immediate close friend.

Millie is survived by her sisters Barbara Gibbs of Ellsworth, and Bernadene Rupcich of Pittsburgh; many loving nieces and nephews including Laural Ziemba (Chad) and their daughter, Leah of Southpointe, Rob Jones (Debby) of Florida, Tim Jones (Pamela) and their sons, Evan and Michael of Colorado, Matthew Jones of Colorado, Cyril “Sonny” Zilka of Michigan, and Charles Shaughnessy and his sons River and Logan of Pittsburgh, and brother-in-law, Robert Jones (Bridgette Scanlon) of Florida.

Deceased in addition to her parents and husband are her sisters, Nancy Jones and Rita Shaughnessy (the late Charles) and their daughter, Valerie Shaughnessy.

Our great thanks, for their care, is extended to the Orange City Skilled Nursing, Sanford EMTs who became her friends, neighbors Patricia and Michael Cauliflower, and especially the two angels who cared for her for many, many years Walt and Rosa Miller of Sanford.

A memorial service for Millie will be held Monday, June 24, 2024 from 10 to 11:00 a.m. at Baldwin-Fairchild Oaklawn Chapel, 5000 County Road 46A, Sanford, Florida.

A memorial service will be held at a later date in Bentleyville and details will be announced by the Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home, Inc., 809 Main Street, Bentleyville, PA, 15314.

Memorial contributions in Millie's memory may be made to the Monessen Public Library, 326 Donner Avenue, Monessen, PA 15062, www.monessenlibrary.org

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