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Mildred Caton passed away peacefully July 10, 2008 in her home in Sonoma.

Mildred Elizabeth "Billie" Fearn was born in Columbus, Ohio, on April 16, 1913, the only child of Charles Elliott Fearn and Florence Zesinger Fearn. The family soon moved to Boston, where Charles worked for the Seagraves Fire Apparatus Company. When Billie was 6-years-old, the family moved to Minneapolis, and later to South Bend, Ind., where she grew up. Her father was then employed for many years as an engineer for the Studebaker Company. The family had many happy times traveling, camping and fishing in a camp car that he had constructed in his garage. Billie emulated her mother who was very well read and very good with the English language. When Billie was 15-years-old, she entered an essay contest on the value of life insurance in society. She won the contest and was awarded first prize, 10 gold coins, worth a total of $100. She spent $10 and put the rest of the money in the bank for her future college expenses. The next year was 1929, the banks failed and all of her savings were lost.

By a combination of almost perfect grades, allowing her free tuition, and waiting tables at the sorority house to get free board, Billie was able to complete her educatiopn at Purdue University in Lafayette, Ind. She greatly enjoyed those years and made many friends who she stayed in touch with until her later years. Her degree was in dietetics, and she used her knowledge of this subject throughout her life, feeding her family a healthly, well-balanced diet, before it was fashionable, and once promising her granddaughter a new dress for eating sensibly and keeping a food diary for two months. It was at Purdue the Billie met her first husband, Roland J. "Jack" McMahan. After her graduation, she took a dietetics internship at University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich. She then worked at the hospital for a year, until she and Jack were married. They moved to California in the early years of their marriage so that Jack could work in the McMahan family furniture business that his uncles had started there. Soon after opening the first store, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and Jack joined the Army as a captain. During the next four years the family moved 23 times, being stationed in many different cities, and sometimes Billie spent many months alone with the children when Jack was overseas. She usually traveled by train, with two small children and a dog. She often spoke of the difficulty of those years and of how much she loved the dog.

After the war was over, the family moved to La Mesa, and had two more children. Billie also worked part time in the family furniture business, as well as volunteering for PTA, San Diego Symphony and many years with the Grossmont Hospital Auxiliary. She loved gardening and decorating, and found an outlet for these interests in the Garden Club of the La Mesa Women's Club. She greatly enjoyed the friends she made in these activities.

In 1963, after a divorce, Billie married Don Caton, and spent more than 30 very happy years with this fine man. They moved to Sonoma in 1992 and enjoyed many visits from their children, grandchildren and other relatives. Don died in 1998, and she missed him greatly for the remaining years of her life. Billie will be remembered for her kindness and beauty, her infectious sense of humor and her constant love and support of her family.

She is survived by her son, Bruce McMahan, of Pelham Manor, N.Y.; her daughters, Nancy Dobransky, of Poway, Sandra Irwin, of San Marino and Susie Perry of Sonoma.

She was also loved by 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned Aug. 9, 2008, at Forest Lawn in Glendale.

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