The Rev. Mildred Rugger
Deacon
Mildred has moved often—her father was a Methodist minister. She considers herself an Iowan because all her schooling took place there. Her bachelor’s degree is from Faith Baptist Bible College, her master’s from the University of Northern Iowa.
Mildred left Iowa to live in the Mexico City metropolitan area for over 3 years. Then, she started settling down, first in San Antonio for 13 years, then in Canyon since 2008. Her husband, Warren Stricker, was the Archivist at the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library in San Antonio and is now the Director of the Research Center at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.
In Canyon, Mildred attended St. George’s Episcopal Church, where she became a lay preacher and later was identified as a potential deacon. After about 5 years of discernment and formation, she was ordained as a vocational deacon in January 2016. Bishop Mayer assigned her to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
For 30 years, Mildred’s professional life was in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, mainly to adults. Becoming a deacon led to a change professionally. She started as a hospice spiritual caregiver in August 2017 and continues in that work part-time.
Mildred’s ministry currently centers on helping St. Andrew’s as we move toward Becoming Beloved Community. Connected with that current focus, she is the Chair of the Amarillo NAACP Religious Affairs Committee.