Thea Milder Obituary

Thea Belinda Milder
Born: February 19, 1970 in Columbus, OH
Died: May 15, 2023 in Downers Grove, IL
Thea Belinda Martine Milder, born in Columbus, Ohio, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on May 15, 2023, from complications of pancreatic and colon cancers. She was 53.
Thea grew up in Blanchester, Ohio, and attended Cincinnati Country Day School. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1992 with a degree in anthropology and from Ohio State University in 1995 with a master's degree in education. Thea had a fascination with archeology and native cultures, which she said was originally inspired by her love of Indiana Jones. Thea participated in numerous archaeological digs, including at Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve in Ohio; at the Kamp Mound Site in Kampsville, Illinois; at Castell Henllys in Pembrokeshire, Wales; and at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Colorado. Thea also studied archeology for a year at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge, where she further developed her love of all things British and, more importantly, made lifelong friendships that withstood distance and time.
She taught hundreds of students from pre-K through 5th grade during a teaching career that took her from Cincinnati to London to Washington, D.C. From 2011-2022 she worked at the Downers Grove Public Library, where she shared her love of mysteries, children's books, and reading.
In 1998, while living in Washington and teaching at Green Acres School in Rockville, Maryland, Thea met her husband, Frederik Heller. They fell in love while exploring Maryland's Eastern Shore, volunteering on various projects with pandas, elephants, golden lion tamarins, and other creatures at the National Zoo, and traveling whenever possible. Thea and Frederik were married on April 22, 2000. They lived in Takoma Park and Silver Spring, Maryland, before moving to Downers Grove, Illinois in 2006.
Thea was fiercely proud of her two children, Peregrine and Cordelia, and eager for them to experience the world and make it a better place in their own ways and, these past few months, was planning trips to show them places she loved or always dreamed of visiting.
Wherever she was, Thea would get up early to see the sunrise. In the spring, she loved to sit under the cherry blossoms with tea and sushi. In the summer, she loved to stay up late to watch for shooting stars. Her enthusiasm for life's wonders, small and large, and her love and concern for those around her will be forever remembered and cherished by her family and friends.
Thea is preceded in death by her father, Peter Craig.
Thea is survived by her husband, Frederik Heller; children, Peregrine and Cordelia Heller; mother, Brenda Hollon-Craig; parent, David Milder; siblings, Anne Milder (John Mattson) and John Craig (Samantha); nieces and nephews, Jack Mattson, Emily Heller, Will Heller, and Addison Craig; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; and countless friends around the world.
A private celebration of Thea and her outlook on life will be held in August at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, https://www.iucn.org/donate); ChildUSA (https://childusa.org/sol/), a think tank for child protection; or, Wellness House (https://wellnesshouse.org/donate/), which provided much comfort and support during her struggle with cancer.