Valpo woman was young at heart

Cleo Milteer was an outgoing woman who loved people, said her son, Tom Milteer.

She was an avid bridge player who participated in three clubs.

"She loved to play bridge," he said. "She had a deck of cards with her all the time."

Cleo Milteer, 95, of Valparaiso, died Dec. 19. She was a 1933 graduate of Horace Mann High School. She attended Gary College and DePauw University. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Valparaiso.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Alfred Milteer.

Tom Milteer said his mother enjoyed decorating, and loved helping her sister decorate her house, too.

"She loved making trips to Marshall Field's," he said.

She also loved gardening, and had an extensive garden of mostly shade plants, he said.

She loved Indiana University basketball, and she and her husband regularly made trips to see games.

She loved her family and extended family.

"She talked to her nieces and nephews on the phone pretty regularly," he said. "She made it a habit of staying in touch with people."

She loved her friends, and kept in touch with friends dating back to high school. She made friends easily, and had friends in all age groups, he said.

"She was young at heart, and loved to be around people who were younger than she was," he said.

He admired his mother for her honesty and kindness.

"She was one of the most honest people," he said. "She wasn't a gossip. You could tell her something in confidence and know that it stayed that way."