BARBARA LUCY MILLS

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BARBARA LUCY MILLS Peacefully on February 7, 2016, Barbara Lucy Mills passed away at the age of 93 after a long battle with cancer. She will be greatly missed by family and friends who knew her generous and loving spirit. Barbara was predeceased by her first husband, John Freeman (1965), and her second husband, John Mills (2004). She is survived by her son, Bernard Freeman and wife Cheryl, her daughter Anne Williams, her stepson Bruce Mills and wife Jackie, her grandchildren Vincent Freeman, Jennifer Freeman, Jonathan Williams, Lisa Mills-Hutton and husband Brian, Amanda Mills, and two great-grandchildren Emmett and Lucy Hutton. To her, family was very important. Barbara was born in Hull, England in 1922 and trained as a nurse at the Hull Infirmary. She worked at various hospitals as a midwife, before coming to Canada in 1946 as a war bride, where she settled in Winnipeg. She worked for the City of Winnipeg as a public health nurse from 1956 until her retirement in 1984. During a varied career, she and three other nurses helped create the Winnipeg Nurses Union in the early 1960s. She went to night school for many years in order to complete a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Winnipeg in 1979. In retirement Barbara and her second husband enjoyed a summer home in St. Pierre, Manitoba until the gardening became too much for them. She was an active member of the St. Andrews quilting group who met in her basement for many years. She also loved to read, watch Jeopardy, and football, and she knit for people far and wide. Special thanks to the W.R.H.A. Home Care for many years of care, to the W.R.H.A. Palliative Care nurses, and to the staff on 3E at the Riverview Heath Centre. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Siloam Mission, 300 Princess St., Winnipeg, MB R3M 1M3, or to the Riverview Health Centre, 1 Morley Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3L 2P4. A memorial service will be held for Barbara at the end of June and an announcement will be made close to that date.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 13, 2016