Welcome to Grove's Brittle Works

MILDRED REBECCA WILLIAMS GROVE, known as "MILLIE"... or "the candy lady in purple"... to her customers, entered into the presence of her Lord on Jan 28, 2024.  She was 95.  

A viewing is scheduled for 6-8pm Friday, Feb 2, and a viewing is scheduled from 11:30am-12pm on Saturday, Feb 3, with a memorial service immediately following the viewing (12pm). 

Both will be at Spring Creek Church of the Brethren, Areba Ave., in Hershey, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Child Evangelism Fellowship, 4305 Winthrop Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17112.

Mildred was born in Mechanicsburg, PA, on Dec. 16, 1928 to Blanche K. and Claude Manly Williams.  She was a member of the Mechanicsburg Church of God and attended Mechanicsburg High School.  After graduation, she worked at the Bell Telephone Company in Harrisburg in the map department, until she married Evan Eugene Grove, of Hershey, in 1949.  She and Evan raised a family of 3 children: David Eugene (Sarah), of Juneau, AK; Karen Irene, of Elizabethtown; and Earl Ellis,(candyman) of Hershey.

Mildred was cofounder, along with Evan, of Groves' Brittle Works, a family-run candy company in Hershey.  They started the business in 1956, initially to raise funds for the Heifer Project (heifer.org), a mission program.  In recent years, while she was still able, she continued her involvement with the candy business, where she frequently greeted the general public and waited on customers.

She was a long-time member of Spring Creek Church of the Brethren, where she was very active in a ministry of music.  She had a lyric soprano voice, and sang-- frequently performing solos-- in the Sr. Choir, and a women's ensemble choir.  She particularly enjoyed working with children, and frequently directed the Jr. Choir.  A lifelong musician, in recent years Mildred also sang in the Voice of Palmyra choral group.  Mildred taught Sunday School classes for many years, as well as hosted a chapter of the Child Evangelism Fellowship's "Good News Clubs" in her home.

Mildred was also an award-winning sales rep for World Book Encyclopedia for about 10 years.

Mildred is survived by her children, a brother, Dr. Claude Manly Williams (ret.), of Media, and by many nieces, nephews, grand nieces & nephews, and great grand nieces & nephews, of various locations around the U.S. and the world.