Remembering Millie Bollback Service, Compassion, and a Helpmate in Action
Millie trusted Christ as her Savior through the influence of a dear childhood friend, and her life was forever changed. A few years later, she attended a youth camp in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. It was there Millie dedicated her life in service to the Lord, feeling especially led toward missions. From then on, she planned to go to Bible School to prepare to serve her Savior. After high school, a friend who was working at the Word of Life office in New York City told Millie about a job opening for a receptionist. After an interview, she was offered the position, and in January 1946, she began work at Word of Life. In March of 1946, Millie met Harry Bollback, who had been the pianist for Jack Wyrtzen before World War II started. When he returned from active duty in the Marine Corps, it didn’t take long for them to begin to get to know one another. The two got engaged in 1947, and after a year at separate Bible Schools (in order to better focus on their studies), they were married on June 12, 1948. Harry and Millie were married for 72 years. God called the Bollbacks to Brazil as missionaries, where they served with Word of Life from 1950 through 1969. Millie always made time for the people God brought into her life. Her special love for Christ and for others, as well as her heart for hospitality, were some of her greatest and most inspiring characteristics. After returning from Brazil, Millie served alongside Harry as he became Co-director of Word of Life with Jack Wyrtzen. Millie was dearly loved by those who knew her and by her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, with whom she loved to spend time. When those near to Millie reflect upon her life, they’re drawn to three defining things about her character: her love for the Lord, her steadfast heart, and the warmth with which she welcomed friends, both new and old, into her home. It’s a joy to know she’s been welcomed Home with that same warmth and love.
1927-2021
Mildred “Millie” (Winkler) Bollback was born on September 29, 1927, to Milton and Dorothy Winkler in Bloomfield, NJ. She was the second daughter in a family of three girls, which included her older sister, Ruth, and her younger sister, Doris.
37 The Experience
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