Mildred Eschmann Spear of Wartrace, Tennessee died unexpectedly on Sunday, November 1, 2020 at Harton Regional Medical Center, three days after surgery. She never met a stranger and made everyone feel welcome and at ease. She was an intelligent, warm, loving, and caring person. Mildred and her husband John owned and operated Ledford Mill Bed and Breakfast in Moore County for nearly twenty years. Mildred is the daughter of the late Colonel Edgar A. “Ted” and Clara Belle Hooks Eschmann. She was born in Gainesville, Florida on December 4, 1943. After graduating in 1964 from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, Mildred worked as a feature writer for the Macon Telegraph and News. She met her husband John by a garbage can their next-door houses shared. They were married on April 15, 1967. She was a member of The National Society of Colonial Dames of America and The Daughters of the American Revolution. She was also a charter member and past president of The Association of Game and Puzzle Collectors. Before settling in Wartrace, Mildred lived in Pensacola, Florida; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Norwell, Massachusetts; several places in England; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During that time she worked as a newspaper editor and feature writer, tour guide, optometrist receptionist, and antique dealer. She and her husband loved to travel, having visited all fifty states, all seven continents, and eighty-eight countries. Since moving to Wartrace, Mildred, in addition to running the bed and breakfast, has been a hostess at Miss Mary Bobo’s in Lynchburg and a volunteer at the Literary Council’s Bookstore in Tullahoma. Mildred had a love for animals and has adopted many dogs and cats. Mildred is survived by her husband, John D. Spear; her sister, Mrs. Clara E. Fisher of Nashville; and brother, Edgar A. Eschmann of Bronwood, Georgia. A memorial service will be scheduled in the near future. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Moore County Friends of Animals Rescue and Adoption Center, 1980 Lynchburg Highway, Lynchburg, TN 37352. Jennings-Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, 181 Majors Boulevard, Lynchburg, TN 37352, (931)-759-4552
