Marjorie Ruth Mills' Obituary
EULOGY
Mom was born February 18, 1912, not in a hospital, but on the kitchen table in her home town of North Dana, Massachusetts, The town discontinued to exist after April 27, 1938 and it is now a reservoir. Her father and her Aunt Mary assisted the doctor in her birth. Mom’s father, Henry Lafferty was attending Boston Theological School at the time. Some of her earliest memories include crawling in her home and finding buttons and pins. She recalls North Dana was a factory town where hats were made. Once she swallowed a safety pin and it was later found in her diaper. At the age of 5 or 6 she recalls one night a torch-lit parade of men marching down her street, in front of her house, in celebration of the end of World War I in 1918.
As her brothers and sisters watched through the windows, Marjorie remembers seeing a man marching holding the American flag while others followed.
She recalls starting 1st grade at five years of age and walked each day a mile one way while living then in Philo, Ohio, south of Zanesville. Her father taught her to read before she entered first grade and she remembered her first grade year spell downs and the last one standing won a prize. At the end of the school year, mom recalls she did win a spell down and her teacher, Miss Fern Herrop gave her Alice in Wonderland. She states it was difficult to understand and understandably so, because it was a satire on the English ruling system in Britain. Perhaps Miss Herrop was running out of books to the spelling bee winners. Years later at 18 her dad took the family back to Philo and she always enjoyed returning to the many parsonages she lived in. Her father was an itinerant preacher who traveled during her primary years in Ohio within the Methodist denomination. She had a chance to visit with her 1st grade teacher who within the years did marry. She recalls at 8 years old watching her school burn to the ground at the end of her street and after the cinders cooled, her sisters and her rummaged through the debris and found chalk and pennies.
Her favorite memories in her primary years were playing with Tinker Toys, coloring with used crayons and playing house with her dolls, and clothes her mother made for her dolls and her sisters dolls. Little things that her dad brought home brought excitement to her and her three sisters, Barbara, Luella and Mimi. She recalls a crocket set and three pairs of steel roller skates being given to them and they played for hours jumping sidewalk cracks and setting up race courses while living in Croton, Ohio about fifteen miles ENE of Westerville. Every summer her aunt Mary came to visit from Cincinnati. She stayed two weeks and never recalls seeing her help her mom. She walked with a cane but what her sisters and her remembered most was the last day at the end of her visit she would give the children a special gift, something to play with or something to wear. Across the street from their home in Croton, was a blacksmith shop. The blacksmith was the bank president. Often they would stand and watch him make horseshoes, wrought iron tools, and kitchen utensils.
Mom recalls growing up in parsonages. Inside their homes running water was not a daily indulgence, and old Sears catalogues served as toilet paper, because toilet paper had not yet been invented. Cold as it was in Ohio winters, her dad tried to warm up the two seaters (one for the children and one for the adults) by putting two or three layers of wallpaper on the inside. Stoves were heated with the coal or wood, whichever was cheaper. And washing clothes was an all day affair, with all members lending a hand. At the age of 11 her mom brought her a Ukulele and formed a school club. She shared the instrument with her school friends which served to introduce mom to music for the first time.
As a teenager the family moved once again this time to Proctorville, Ohio adjacent to West Virginia along the Ohio River. Now as a high school student, her mother started Marge on private piano lessons. Her teacher, for two years was Helen Wallace a 24 year old high school music teacher. She studied opera and classical music. She instilled a love of classical music in her. This was the first person outside her family that had a profound effect on her life. At 15, as she states, was her favorite age. The family moved to Oak Hill, Ohio 30 miles north of Huntington, West Virginia. As music played a fortuitous role in her life she learned musical festivals were held in Jackson, Ohio. There she competed entering with Chopin Prelude and won $10. This was 1927.
At 15, mom was the Boys Glee Club pianist at her school. She also had the self-confidence in her sophomore and junior year in 1925 and 1926 to get involved in the Debate club. She also served as the secretary of her class. As a senior the family moved again to Georgetown about 45 miles ESE of Cincinnati, Ohio. There she graduated and enrolled in Ohio Wesleyan College just North of Columbus in Delaware, OH. The family moved again to Springboro, south of Dayton where she would return where home was between her college freshman and college senior year. In her last year in high school, the school had a senior banquet. She recalls watching from the sidelines, wearing her new dress and was not at all happy. Her father would not allow her to dance. Her closest friend, the Presbyterians minister’s daughter, Mae Martin were quite close and mom would stay overnight from time to time. Both wanted to learn how to dance but the conflict occurred with her father’s requirements. On one date to Spring Lake dance pavilion, she arrived home after curfew and met her dad at the car holding an alarm clock to her date, which embarrassed her greatly. Her wish came true years later while Tom and she were in summer school at OSU and he taught her to dance, where they fell in love in the summer of 37.
Mom met dad in June of 1936 in Columbus Ohio, in front of Mills Restaurant and Cafeteria across the street from Ohio State House. He was standing near the restaurant door as she was dropped off by her friend Barbara. Their first date was a blind date. The other couple did not show up. He picked her up in his dad’s car and that night they spent talking with each other. Later, a typical date included walking about campus, going to athletic events and university dances. Tom played trumpet in the OSU marching band and together, if a piano was handy, the two would sing together or she would accompany him as he would play his trumpet. They both enjoyed music. The summer of 1936, at Buckeye Lake, Tom proposed to her on a date at a Big Band Dance. He gave her his fraternity pin and she accepted. She would wear it proudly whenever she could. They married September 2, 1937. Tom was 22 and she was 25. They married at the parsonage of Rev Charles Bowman in Norwood, Ohio. Tom wore a nice blue suit which was purchased with his first paycheck, working at Mills Restaurant in downtown Cincinnati. Mom wrote that she wore a white cotton 2 piece knit suit and a little off-white roller hat and dark navy pumps. Both had to borrow $50.00 from her Aunt Mary to purchase the wedding ring. She had paid $9.00 for a week’s rental of a 2 bedroom apt., furnished in Norwood w/a bathroom down the hall and washing privileges in the basement. Together they saved $10.00 to give to Dr. Bowman, the pastor, but he refused it. He stated, “I did it for the friendship Tom had with Marjorie’s dad.” On their wedding day the plan was to meet at the minister’s house at 10 A.M. but Tom overslept. She wrote that the landlady forgot to awaken him. Her friend Mae and Mae’s boyfriend Rae Bayless stood up with them, while a colleague from teaching at the Wagner School, Orpha Armstrong, served in the ceremony. Mom stayed at Mae’s Aunts family two weeks before she got married and at that time Tom and her decided to get married. A week before the wedding she spent at Orpha’s house in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. As you can see the wedding was a surprise to both sets of parents. Later that week Tom and Marge took the train up to Columbus to visit Tom’s parents. They lived together in Norwood, Ohio next to Cincinnati. Tom took the street car to work at the Mills Restaurant, not far from the Ohio River. Their first year together they spent weekends with Roberta and Edwin Teple, Roberta being Tom’s only sister. They deeply enjoyed each other in their early years of marriage. The early years were filled with growing family relationships, working as a teacher and having fun attending OSU sporting events, dances and other musical sources of entertainment.
Some of the things Mom remembered most about her early years together were how much Tom cared for his family. She recalls a favorite picture of Tom holding Mike in Grandma Bess’s backyard by the clothesline. There were always diapers to wash and hanging them in the morning sun. She also recalls a priceless picture of Tom posing with the kids at Short Street, grandpa’s home in Worthington. She always looked forward to vacations together. Tom taught Mike and Marcia how to fish while at Love Sick Lake, in Ontario, Canada. She would continue and state that Tom took such good care of us as a family. He always thought of his family first and would gladly die that we might live. She wrote we were never in a tornado, never in an earthquake, or flood, and never lost property in a fire. She would then qualify the statement by saying, “Of course our Heavenly Father was always watching over us to keep us safe too.” For summer entertainment the family went to concerts on the “Green” in Worthington, going to the “Drive-In” together, cooking popcorn to bag it up and bring the bottle for Millie, while Mike and Marcia would play on the swings prior to the start of the movie.
As a young mother, mom took care of the children. The baby buggy or stroller, according to the baby’s’ ages, was a walk to the park. A trip to town was a mile one way, and when they did not have a car, walking was the mode of transportation. Mom stated that in those early years, the children were quite healthy. Their teeth came in straight naturally. And with reference to the children’s grandparents, the kids learned to know them and get close to them. They also became close to their cousins during celebratory times of the year, which included Easter Egg hunts, family picnics, trips to Beamsville, OH and Greenville, OH.
Favorite times as a family were captured by the movie camera Tom used, wanting to create memories. The family would watch the movies projected on a blank wall or projection screen. Tom also wanted to teach the children water sports, water skiing, swimming, vacationing in state parks and learning how to fish. They all loved the out of doors. Mom commented she loved the smell of Tom’s grilling for dinner.
“I wanted my children to have a sincere belief in God and Jesus and how to apply Bible teachings to their daily lives- so the spiritual side of their nature would be nourished and have a belief and trust in Eternal Life.” Other things mom wanted for them were, “to be happy; to grow up in a home where there was laughter and a lot of musical experience around them; the opportunity to love nature and the out of doors, to learn the value of money and how to budget their time.” Also, She could see it in their children- especially where they gain experience in the life work. She wanted for them to make right choices, to experience good friendships. As a reward for motherhood she saw her children grow into responsible, independent and dependable adults, able to care for themselves and family- to love the Lord, to take ‘time out’ to smell the roses to enjoy their life’s work. Also, she wanted them to remain close to their siblings and not become adults who don’t communicate.
She wanted to be remembered for her devotion and dedication to a lasting marriage, (60 Years), her dedication to her family, music, and to walk with God each day by the example she set in her life. She acknowledges that Jesus is in her heart and she could talk with Him at any time. She stated that she is content and at peace with all people, God and family and that to her was happiness. She also stated that she enjoyed watching her children, grandchildren grow, athletics that Tom and her watched over the years, public TV and radio, her blessings each day and her very good neighbor, Vivian Archibald.
Mom was an accompanist for The Choraliers Singing Group from Timber Oaks Community in Port Richie for close to twenty years. She played the organ and piano. When Henry Fletcher became the Choir Director, she learned to play the electric piano. Mom actually was asked by Henry to shopped for and pick out an electric piano which was used by the singing group. She practiced with several soloists and enjoyed the groups Christmas and Spring concerts.
We also are grateful for the love and care provided to her by the Consulate Health Care of Bayonet Point staff in the final days we had with her.
What’s your fondest memory of Marjorie?
What’s a lesson you learned from Marjorie?
Share a story where Marjorie's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Marjorie you’ll never forget.
How did Marjorie make you smile?
