Dorothy “Dotty” Gertrude (Alexander) Mills, 94, passed away Saturday, Jan. 16, surrounded by family.
She was born in Carrolton, Ala., Sept. 25, 1921, and was the daughter of the late William and Sudie Mae (Englebert) Alexander of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the widow of Charles “Charlie” Mills, who passed away in 1987. Millsgrew up in Tuscaloosa, graduated from Tuscaloosa High in 1938 and earned a business degree from the University of Alabama in 1942, at a time when very few women were pursuing higher education. After graduating from college, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps where she served as a technician fifth Grade. She met her husband while serving in the Army and was married in Alabama in 1946. She and Charlie moved to Groveland, Massachusetts where she lived until her death. Mills worked for many years at Haverhill Co-operative Bank, Merrimack Street, while raising three children. She was an active member of the Groveland Congregational Church and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Despite living in Massachusetts for most of her life, she never lost her southern charm and could often be heard saying to family, “Come here and give me some sugar.” She doted on her grandchildren and spent many hours over the years caring for them and attending their sporting events, graduations, and weddings. She was an avid card player who enjoyed everything from solitaire to poker.
She is survived by her two sons Warren Mills and his wife Gayle of Mesa, Ariz., and Robert Mills and his wife Ruth of Amesbury, along with six grandchildren Erin Mills Grant and her husband Christian, Robert Mills and his wife Megan, Todd Mills and his wife Elisha, Amy Feeney and her husband Dan, Sarah Smith and her husband Clayton, and Lindsay Mills. She is also survived by 11 great-grandchildren, Emma, Abigail, Jackson, Sophie, Dorothy Ellen, Grace, Brady, Warren, Noah, Annabel, and Henry. She was predeceased by her husband and her daughter Cynthia Mills.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours Thursday, Jan. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at H. L. Farmer and Sons Bradford Funeral Home, 210 South Main St. (route 125) Bradford. Her Funeral Service will be Friday, Jan 22, at 11 a.m., at the funeral home. Interment will follow in the Riverview Cemetery, Groveland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Cindy Mills Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o the Pentucket Regional Scholarship Foundation, PO Box 36, Groveland, MA 01834 or a charity of your choice.
A real pioneer, great woman