SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Virgil E. Mielke, 92, passed away Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. Virgil was the seventh of 12 children born to Ernest and Hazel Mielke in Savanna. He graduated from Savanna High School and Northern Illinois Teachers College in DeKalb. He began his teaching career in Mount Carroll before being drafted into the Army. On Dec. 20, 1952, he married Ruth County.
Virgil served in the Korean War, became a helicopter pilot instructor and flew helicopter ambulances in Vietnam. Upon his retirement as a lieutenant colonel, he was employed by the Internal Revenue Service and volunteered his teaching and supplies to those schools. He was a very giving person to those in need. Virgil is survived by his wife, Ruth; two sons, Robert (Bev) and Thomas (Gloria); and four grandchildren.
Survivors also include a brother, Robert of Pecatonica; and two sisters, Evelyn (Richard) Schneider of Mount Carroll, and Phyllis (Wilfred) Smithson of Bellevue, Iowa. He was preceded in death by six sisters and two brothers.