Obituary of Marie Teresa Mills

Peacefully on Wednesday, November 15th at Whitby in her 88th year.
She was predeceased by her husband John (Jack) Mills in 2001.  Lovingly remembered by children Keith (Jacqueline), Judy, Bill (Christine), Don (Trish) and Elizabeth (Tim); Grandchildren Christopher (Carol) and Kyla (Dan), Lauren, Jonathan and Abush, Ryan and Julia, Kirby, James and Alyssa;
And great grandsons Wesley and Charlie.

Marie was born in Toronto to Mary and Frederick Goodwin in a small house on Durie Street in the Bloor Runnymede neighbourhood. Her mother tragically
passed away a few days after Marie's birth.
 

As a baby, her aunt Nellie was summoned from England to bring her to Yorkshire where Marie resided for a short period before sailing back with Nellie on the ship Albertic, arriving in Halifax in 1931. She returned to Toronto and lived with her Auntie Annie(Young) and the several Young family cousins. Later, she returned to live with her father who had remarried. She grew up in Mimico and what was then known as New Toronto, with her brothers Jack and Bill. As a young woman, she worked as a bank teller with her friend Marion Mason. (Decades later, Marie and Marion would become neighbours on Else Street in St. Catharines).  In her early twenties, she moved to Durham, Ontario with her Aunt Violet and Uncle Alf who owned the Durham hotel.  There, she met her future husband Jack Mills who was a hotel guest while working as a surveyor for the electrical utility.  They were married on Nov 24th, 1951 and moved to St. Catharines, near Jack's sister Vimy Sharratt.  With 5 children in tow, the family moved to Bay Beach village (now part of Fort  Erie) in 1966.
Marie was very involved with the Anglican Church parish, serving as a church warden as well as representative at the Anglican Synod over the years.  Her community service involved social work, where she managed a drop-in centre for life skills and job readiness training in town.
She graduated from Niagara College with a diploma in Social Work at age 60..
Marie's travels took her to Europe with her cousins from England, and to Africa to visit her daughter Judy who worked in the medical field in Nigeria.  Her involvement with the Anglican Church led her to Southeast Asia, in particular the Philippines.  She was a life-long volunteer, including organizations as Meals on Wheels and Heart and Stroke Foundation, and was active in political canvassing and Census polling.
Her hobbies included construction of miniature doll houses, and of course baking of her famous butter tarts.  Marie's children and grandchildren live throughout Canada, including Halifax, Guelph, Orangeville, Fort Erie, Toronto, Whitby, Calgary and Edmonton."

Celebration of Life to be held at St Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St, St Catharines on Monday, November 20th at 12:00 noon. 
Interment with family to follow, Victoria Lawn Cemetery, St. Catharines.

The family wishes to express their deepest appreciation to the staff of Fairview Lodge in Whitby for their compassionate care of Marie.

In lieu of flowers, and as a lifetime parishioner of the Anglican Church, a donation to the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund in Marie's memory would be greatly appreciated.