Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

When Mildred Mitchell Bateman was 12-years old, a tornado tore through her home leaving a path of devastation. After helping care for survivors, she knew she wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, anything to help others.

"It was a learning experience for me to grow up on the hospital grounds of the state mental institution and get a true understanding of what she was trying to do. These are people just like you and me and anyone can have the issues that those people were having," said Mildred's daughter, Donna Taylor.

That was the start of a sixty year long career that turned her into a beacon of hope in the treatment of mental illness.

In 1999, Governor Cecil Underwood renamed the Huntington State Hospital, The Mildred Mitchell Bateman Hospital to honor her accomplishments.

Mildred died at the age of 89 last week. Hundreds came to the Bream Presbyterian Church to pay their respects to a woman remembered for her passion and accomplishments.

"Life is hard sometimes. But if you can just remember that you can go forth, go around, go through, whatever it takes to make it. That's what I want for people to remember about mother because that's certainly what she did," said Mildred's daughter, Danielle Shanklin.

Remembering a woman for her decades of service. But her work and legacy will continue to live on.

Dr. Bateman was also nominated as a local legend by Representative Shelley Moore Capito.

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