Mildred Ethel Short, known as Millie, passed away peacefully in her home on September 28, 2023 in Anchorage, Alaska, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born on May 19, 1942 in Moses Point, Alaska to Eric Kotongan and Alma Sarah Pauwok. Millie leaves behind a rich legacy filled with love, compassion, and a deep connection to the Native subsistence lifestyle.
After graduating from Nome-Beltz High School, Millie embarked on a fulfilling career. She spent many years as a Medical Records Technician for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel. She had a very strong dedication to the people of the YK Delta, which culminated in her retirement in 2004. Millie’s career was marked by her unwavering commitment to the health and wellness of the communities she served. She had many co-workers from her career who became lifelong friends.
Millie married the love of her life, Hugh Short, on December 18, 1963 and they have four children together. Millie and Hugh raised their children all over Alaska, including Bethel, Nome, Anchorage and Fairbanks. Hugh and Millie taught them the value of hard work and community. Throughout their life together, Millie and Hugh would often spend time together with their family driving to Burns Lake, BC to meet Hugh’s family.
Millie had a deep love for nature; driving her Wooldridge boat on the Kuskokwim river, fishing for salmon in the summer, and picking blueberries, cranberries, salmonberries, and blackberries in the fall, and going hunting with family. As a strong Inupiaq woman, Millie had a passion to provide for her family and friends, as did her ancestors for generations on the Seward Peninsula.
Millie and her husband Hugh loved taking long trips across North America in their RV after retirement, often going to visit Hugh’s brother Fay in Arizona. Their favorite times were heading off on some highway and exploring together, eating at diners, and finding friends to enjoy their golden years with. Millie was a role model for all, living her life with grace, strong values, and an optimistic outlook. She loved nurturing her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her love extended beyond her family, touching the lives of everyone she encountered.
The era Millie lived in was not always easy; but she and Hugh lived a long, wonderful life, showing their kids the necessary grit and resilience it takes to raise children, support your family, and always be there for those who need you.
Millie was the loving mother to her daughter Velda Miller and son-in-law Lance Miller, and her sons Kevin Short and Hugh Short Jr., and daughter-in-law Trina Short. She was a devoted grandmother to Melanie McIntyre, Anamarie Miller and her husband Jeremy Pecoul, Derrick Stickman, Miranda Miller and her husband Loren Early, Brittany Dementieff and her husband Moses, LJ Miller and his wife Jamie, Cody Short and his wife Maria, Madilyn Short, Karis Short, Elizabeth Millie Short, and Kailani Short. She is also survived by her sister Corrine Friemering.
She is reunited in Heaven with her husband Hugh Short, son Sherman Hugh Short, grandson Matthew Short, parents Alma Pauwok and Eric Kotongen, brothers Richard Pauwok ,William Pauwok, Jimmy Pauwok, Norman Pauwok, and Julius Pleasant, and sister Flora Bond. Millie’s family also extends to many great-grandchildren, relatives, and foster children spread across Alaska, who will remember her fondly and miss her dearly.
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