Mireille was born in France in 1941, several months after Germany invaded France at the start of the Second World War. She lived the first four years of her life under German occupation, surviving several Allied bombings in her mother’s arms, and finally experiencing the D-Day liberation of France in 1945. She remembered her first taste of an orange that was provided by an American soldier throwing oranges and chocolates from the back of an army truck.

Mireille was raised and educated in France, married her American husband, Frank, who was with an American company on assignment in France, in 1968, and gave birth to two sons.

She came to America with her family in 1982, residing permanently and raising her family in Westfield, N.J.

Mireille was completely dedicated to her family and making a loving home. She was artistic, which was evident from an early age and in every aspect of her life. She was a

Mireille Adrienne Julienne Flandre Rathgeber, Loving Wife, Mother and Grandmother

phenomenal cook, she grew beautiful flowers at her Westfield home, she doted on every facet of her children’s lives, she was elegant, but above all, she was sensitive and conscious of the needs of others. No one was rich or poor or more deserving than another. Everyone deserved understanding and compassion. And when things weren’t going as well as hoped, or there were problems to confront, her counsel was always that others were often less fortunate and truly suffering. One always had to be mindful of and thankful for the many blessings God has bestowed on our family.

Mireille is survived by her husband, Frank, of 56 years; her sons, Frank and William; daughter-in-law, Jill (Collum); granddaughters, Sophie and Nicole; sister, Michele, and many friends in France and the United States.

All services will be held privately under the direction of Dooley Colonial Home, 556 Westfield Avenue, Westfield, N.J. 07090.

June 6, 2024