Marjorie E. Mills

Marjorie Albright Mills, age 91, died peacefully on December 17, 2016.

Marge was born to Haman and Alice Albright in Bucyrus, Ohio in 1925, the elder of two children. Always open to new adventures, Marge traveled to California with two friends in 1945, where she soon found her future husband and love of her life, Bertrand C. Mills. Fittingly, they met on a golf course when he was on shore leave following his destroyer’s return from the western Pacific and Japan. They were married a few months later while the ship was being decommissioned near Jacksonville, FL.

Marge was an avid and accomplished golfer. The family moved often, and golf always remained a high priority and provided an opportunity to meet new friends in many different states. Their work related moves took them successively from Schenectady, NY to Princeton, NJ, Hinsdale, IL, Elm Grove, WI and Fayetteville, NY. They eventually moved to Vero Beach, FL, where they bought Climatic Heating and Air Conditioning, which they sold in 1983.

The move to Florida provided a chance to pursue another favorite pastime, boating. Favorite among the couple’s many boats was their trawler, Immokalee. They particularly loved their many trips to the Bahamas with good friends and family members. Vero Beach remained their primary residence throughout their retirement years, adding a mountain home near Hayesville, NC as a welcomed summer retreat.

In addition to raising five children and Marge’s personal interest in golf, she found many ways to give back both to the sport and to the community. She served as chairwoman for the Syracuse District Women’s Golf Association, chairperson for the American Cancer Society’s annual golf fundraiser held in Naples, Florida, and was a dedicated driver for the Vero Beach Volunteer Ambulance Squad for many years.

Marge and Bert celebrated sixty years of marriage prior to his death in June, 2006. She is survived by her five children, Patricia Hauser (Howard) of Vero Beach, FL; David Mills (Teri) of Madison, WI and Punta Gorda, FL; Thomas Mills (Tekla) of Chittenango, NY; Laurie Fourmont (Daniel) of Vero Beach, FL; and Melissa “Missy” Gullquist (Scott “Sandy)” of Richmond, VA; 12 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. A family memorial service celebrating Marge’s life was held in Vero Beach on March 20, 2017.