Nov. 19, 1943 - Nov. 25, 2021
Date of Service: Dec. 6, 2021
TWIN FALLS – Mildred “Millie” Denton Inouye, age 78, passed away Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021, after a valiant battle with colon cancer and dementia. She returned home to our loving Lord where she was reunited with her dear son, Robbie Inouye. Millie was surrounded by the love and comfort of her family when she passed.
Millie was born Nov. 19, 1943, to Robert and Leta Denton in Baxter Springs, Kansas; she was the first of two siblings. Millie attended schools in Baxter Springs and Independence, Kansas. She moved to Idaho with her parents as a young girl and graduated from Minico High School in 1961. Millie attended Utah State University in Logan, Utah, where she graduated with a degree in mathematics and French. Following her graduation, Millie Inouye’s first job was at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Something Millie Inouye was most proud of during her adult years was earning her college degree and her subsequent job at White Sands Missile Range.
She married John Winston Copeland in 1966. From this union, John Winston Copeland (Inouye) was born. In 1969, John Winston Copeland, Millie’s husband, passed away in Atlanta, Georgia. Soon after his death, she returned to Idaho to be with and near her family. On Sept. 20, 1970, she wed Mitsuo Inouye, going on to have two more children, Robert Raymond Inouye and Michelle Umeno Inouye.
Millie Inouye was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sibling, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She devoted most, if not all of her time, to her family. Millie will be remembered by many for her ability to hostess elaborate dinners and festive, holiday parties. One of the most memorable holidays that Millie would host was the 4th of July. She made sure we had a lot of homemade, delicious food with entertainment for all ages.
Millie was an outstanding wife. She and Mits celebrated 51 years of marriage this past September. She was her husband’s best friend, loyal supporter, and his anchor. As her children grew and they had their children, Millie stepped into the role of an amazing and loving grandmother. When Michelle, Millie’s daughter, lost her husband, Millie stepped in to help Michelle rear her children. She was instrumental in helping Michelle and, as a result, Michelle’s children, Mikala and Thomas, were very close to their grandmother. She never turned down an opportunity to watch and care for them. Even up until last spring, Millie was watching her great-granddaughter, Breezlyn Cantu.
Most important to Millie was her faith. She had accepted Jesus as her Savior and believed that eternal life was only through him. She demonstrated the love of the Father best through her kind, caring, and loving actions. She was a true woman of God.
Millie is survived by her husband, Mits Inouye; son, John Winston Inouye (Chris); daughter, Michelle Inouye Rasmussen; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. In addition to her first husband, she was preceded in death by her son, Robert Raymond Inouye; a son-in-law, Scott Gary Rasmussen; a grandson, Robert Cole Inouye; her parents; and her brother, Raymond Edward Denton.
Millie’s life will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 6, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, with Pastor David Carver officiating. Burial will be at Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley.
Family and friends will be received from 6 until 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, and from 10 until 10:45 A.m. on Monday, prior to the service at the funeral home.
Millie will be forever known and remembered as a supportive wife, a loving mother, a caring grandmother, great-grandmother, and a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. She was welcomed into Paradise with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful one.”
