Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Mills, 80, died Saturday at Genesis Lebanon Center from complications of Alzheimer's disease. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 8, 1929, to Charles Edgar and Edwina Dorothy (Carpenter) Mills, lived her early years in Floral Park, Long Island, and graduated from Sewanhaka High School in 1947.

Following secretarial school, she was employed by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Standard Brands, Lever Brothers, and Booz, Allen & Hamilton Consultants, all in New York City.

Sailing was a big part of the Mills family's life on Long Island, and Betty loved spending hours sailing on her father's sloop with her family on Long Island Sound.

In 1965 she and her parents moved to West Lebanon to be near her brother and his family. For the next 27 years, she was employed as Administrative Assistant to four Deans of the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, retiring in 1992.

While living in Vermont, she served as Treasurer of the First Universalist Society of Hartland Four Corners; on the Board of Directors of the Hartford Historical Society, where she was active in its Genealogy Workshop; and was a member of the Vermont Mobile Home Owners Association.

She was an extremely devoted daughter, providing exceptional care for her father who over the course of many years slowly became paraplegic, and for her mother who in later years began to suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Her sense of compassion was also evident by her love of animals and for the many cats and dogs that she brought into her life. For over 30 years, she had an avid interest in genealogy and family history, researching material as far back as the early 1600's, and inspiring her niece to continue the work she began.

For several years, she lived at St. Luke's Senior Housing in Middletown, CT, where her nephew and his wife enjoyed having her next door.

Her parents and her brother, John Frederick Mills, Sr. predeceased her. Survivors include her sister-in-law, Barbara E. Mills of Hartland; three nephews, John F. Mills, Jr. of Hartland, Oran Mills and his wife Marilyn of Middletown, CT, and Timothy D. Mills and his wife Margaret of Nyack, NY; one niece, Susan E. Bibeau and her husband Richard of Fairlee; also one grand-niece Jennifer Mills, and grand-nephews Michael Mills and Jeremy Mills.

Memorial contributions in her name may be made to the Upper Valley Humane Society, 300 Old Route 10, Enfield, NH 03748.

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Hanover, NH 03755
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