As Elfriede Milburn, the 88-year-old former director of the City of Powell/Moyer Animal Shelter, arrived at a party in her honor Thursday, her face lit up like a child walking through the gates of Disneyland.

Despite her diminutive stature, Milburn’s huge heart for lost and displaced pets was nearly bursting from within as folks from across the region lined up for hugs on a day proclaimed “Elfriede Milburn Day” by the city council. For the past 28 years, Milburn has worked to save area pets at the Moyer Animal Shelter, an organization she founded in 1998 with the help of friends and family.

As the director, she never took a paycheck for the tens of thousands of hours she spent on the job.

“It was my thing,” Milburn said at the party. “I don’t regret a minute of it.”

The council highlighted her career in the proclamation, saying that during her nearly three decades of volunteer work, she labored with “unwavering compassion, tireless advocacy and steadfast leadership” while helping hundreds of animals find forever homes, and said she has left “a lasting legacy that will continue to benefit both animals and the citizens of Powell for generations to come.”

Milburn reveled in the many kind words, circulating at the ice cream social with a cone in one hand and a tissue to wipe away her tears of joy in the other. Powell Mayor John Wetzel and wife Shelby, executive director of the Northwest College Foundation, hosted the party, handing out the ice cream treats to the dozens of Elfriede fans in attendance.

“For 28 years, Elfriede has quietly worked a thankless job and never asked for any recognition,” the mayor said while working the ice cream bar. “It was definitely time to take a moment to say thank you.”

Wetzel said that, during his time as mayor, Milburn ran the shelter so well that it worked seamlessly within city government, and did so inexpensively.

“Elfriede’s done such good work for the city of Powell, taking care of stray cats and dogs and animals,” he said. “As mayor, we’ve never had to worry about strays because the animal shelter’s always dealt with it, and that’s been pretty cool for us. And she’s done it rather efficiently, and for a low cost. I mean, it hasn’t cost us much; not that money’s everything, but it’s nice to have in this day and age a well-run shelter that doesn’t cost the city thousands of dollars.”

Shelby Wetzel said Milburn loves her community and has served it well.

“She would do anything for anybody,” she said. “She’s always been part of the community, no matter whether it was working with youth or caring for the animals. She’s taken care of Powell in so many ways, and it was time to honor her.”

Milburn is the widow of former Powell mayor Jim Milburn, who served for two terms from 1997 to 2005. He passed away in May 2018 at the age of 80.

Newly appointed Director Jess Campbell told the Tribune on Friday that Milburn’s commitment to the shelter has been inspirational, saying, “All we want to do is just continue to honor her and what she started.

“We’re going to honor her with growth and development of the shelter.”

The board of directors and staff at the shelter have significantly updated the shelter’s online presence and are working to get to know the community so they can “continue to grow from what Elfriede has built,” Campbell said.

The shelter is operated by nonprofit Caring for Powell Animals as a municipal animal control facility and the facility is owned by the city. All donations to the 501(c)(3) organization are tax-deductible.