Mills, Barbara – Peacefully, in Edmonton, Alberta, on Tuesday May 21st, 2024, Barbara Carol Mills, nee Kirkham of London, Ontario, in her 83rd year.
Loving mother of John (Jannine) Mills, Carolyn (Jay) Grono, and Katherine (Nicholas Inman) Mills. Forever missed by her two grandchildren, Nathan and Alex Grono, who referred to her as Grandma B and later simply G’ma’.
Barbara Mills passed away peacefully on May 21st, 2024, surrounded by family. Until the end, she maintained her sense of humour, kindness, compassion, and love of family and friends. Barbara’s life can be defined by her regard for education, travel (we all know how much she enjoyed a map), camping, culture, books, animals, and the people she met along the way.
Barbara was born in 1942 and raised by her parents, Russell and Peggy Kirkham, in Kingston, Ontario. She attended Queen’s University, earning a degree in Occupational Therapy. Barbara spent almost 50 years working as an OT in various settings in London, Ontario. She was an exceptional mentor and enjoyed teaching new students who became lifelong friends. At the end of her career and post-retirement, Barbara taught English as a second language and profoundly influenced the lives of many new to Canada.
Barbara was an avid reader and follower of current events. She was always eager for political conversation and enjoyed exchanging ideas with her close friends. She was passionate about travel and learning about other cultures. As a young adult, Barbara hitchhiked through Europe and, in her later years, travelled to England, Singapore, Vietnam, and Ireland.
Barbara’s love for walking and hiking always required a dog that was often rescued from the humane society. Her dogs Trixie, Sparky, Oscar, and Belle gave her such joy. Chauncey, a beautiful Sheltie, joined her in her last years while living in Edmonton, significantly impacting her wellness. But her love for animals extended far beyond dogs. Life on Wortley Road once included a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a rat, and a turtle (with a few snakes in a pail in the backyard). She was also a loving grandparent to her furry grand-dogs and cats, London, Dexter, Sierra, Logan, Phoenix, Charlie, Rosie, Blue, Oliver, Linus, and Gordon.
Barbara was passionate about her family and friends. She is predeceased by her partner Michael Hermiston, with whom she shared lengthy conversations, countless concerts, trips to the theatre, and travel. Their dedication to Barbara’s grandchildren, Nathan and Alex, frequently brought them to Edmonton to visit. Barbara loved her three children and their partners deeply. As her kids grew into adults, she was able to share special time with each of them. When Katherine went to university at Western, it was just the two of them remaining in the house, until Katherine moved to Calgary and then to Los Angeles. It was now John’s turn. Jannine and John spent Sundays sharing dinner, conversation, and laughs with Barbara over many years. In 2020, Barbara moved to Edmonton and spent her last years with Carolyn and her family, living just one block apart.
She was a great listener, incredibly supportive, nonjudgmental, and would do anything and everything to help. These attributes extended to not only her family but also her children’s friends and neighbourhood acquaintances. Barbara had many lifelong friends with whom she kept in touch over the years. Some included past students who, despite being much younger, have continued to email, call, text, and write.
Although we all knew Barbara differently as a mother, grandmother, colleague, or friend, the one commonality was our love of her unexpected sense of humour. Even in her final days, she relished a good laugh.
Memorial donations to Diabetes Canada, the Kidney Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, or a cause that is important to you would be appreciated.
A service will be held at Harris Funeral Home, 220 St. James Street at Richmond, in London, on Saturday, June 22nd, at 2:00 p.m.