Charlotte R. Mickish

Charlotte Mickish (née Richmond) of Wilmington, Delaware, joined her beloved husband Daniel in Heaven on July 31st, 2024. She was 78 years old.

She was born in 1946 in Fort Hood, Texas, to Charles and Irene (née Poage) Richmond. While Charles served the Oklahoma National Guard in Japan and Korea, five-year-old Charlotte took her job of protecting her mother and baby sister very seriously. She loved receiving letters, recordings, and little gifts from her father overseas and sending him back her own earliest writings and drawings.

At age 15, Charlotte transferred in the middle of the school year to Edmond High School, where she met Dan Mickish in a chemistry class normally restricted to upperclassmen. They fell quickly in love and enjoyed a long and happy marriage of nearly 59 years.

Charlotte earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Central State College (now University) in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1968, and then taught high school math. She supported Dan throughout his Ph.D. program at Oklahoma State University and post-doctoral program at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They moved together to Wilmington, Delaware, after Dan was recruited as a physicist by DuPont. She was so proud of Dan’s accomplishments and his contributions to science.

Charlotte loved books and reading, especially science fiction and fantasy novels. Her favorite authors were J. R. R. Tolkien, Piers Anthony, and Robert A. Heinlein. She even named their Yorkshire Terrier Bilbo Baggins.

Charlotte wanted desperately to become a mother and eventually welcomed a baby girl Cassandra in 1987. She delighted in introducing her daughter to new experiences, observing the growing buds and leaves on the trees each spring morning and teaching her all about the world around her. During this time, she described her job as a “neural network programmer.” While her daughter Cassie attended preschool and kindergarten at Wilmington Montessori, Charlotte was a regular volunteer in the classroom. She taught baking lessons to Cassie’s preschool class, making pies, Irish soda bread, and many other treats from scratch. At the end of the year, she made a class cookbook with all the recipes they had prepared together. Charlotte also taught one-on-one reading lessons to students in Cassie’s kindergarten class, applying phonics rules and tricks learned from her mother Irene’s advanced degree in special education. Charlotte is still credited with helping several children learn to read. As Cassie got older, Charlotte read her many of her favorite books and passed on her love of reading and literature.

After her diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis, Charlotte remained an active and supportive wife and mother. She attended swim meets, track meets, and volleyball games, frequently brought her daughter to the pool to swim laps together after school, and took care of everything at home during Dan’s overseas business trips. She was a reliable source of advice and insight for Cassie and several of her friends, and she made sure everyone felt welcome in their home.

Charlotte’s next great joy was becoming a grandmother. She and Dan drove to Baltimore to visit Cassie, her husband Darren, and new baby Rosalyn in the hospital. She looked forward to every visit and loved watching Rosalyn and Ronald learn and grow. As her health deteriorated, Charlotte looked forward to going to Heaven where she would be able to watch and guide her grandchildren all the time.

Dan lovingly cared for Charlotte for many years until his death on July 28, 2024. Although her mobility was limited, she cared for him as well. She was by his side when he passed away peacefully. Her health then declined rapidly, and she passed away just days later. They had a once in a lifetime love, and the family takes comfort in knowing they are together again.

Charlotte is survived by her daughter Cassandra Mickish Gross, son-in-law Darren Gross, and grandchildren Rosalyn and Ronald Gross (Perry Hall, MD); sister Cheryl Wilmoth (Moore, Oklahoma); nephew Adam Wilmoth and wife Lisa (Moore, Oklahoma); and niece Robin Harris and husband Michael (Odessa, Texas). Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Irene Richmond, and brother-in-law Steve Wilmoth.

A joint Memorial Service will be held for Dan and Charlotte on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at 12:00 pm at Chandler Funeral Home, 2506 Concord Pike Wilmington, DE 19803. Friends may visit with the family beginning at 11:00 am.