Obituary of Bertha Gay Mills

Mills Bertha Gay ??? 94 of Bridgetown, Anna. Co. passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 30th, 2011, in Soldiers Memorial Hospital, Middleton. Bertha was born on May 10th, 1916 in Joggins Mines, Cumberland County, the only child of Roy and Clara (Wright) Mills. After the early death of her mother in 1916 and of her father in 1919, she was raised in the Mills family home by her paternal grandparents, Willard and Melissa (Tabor) Mills. Bertha was the wife of the late Lieutenant-Commander Gordon Mills, Royal Canadian Navy, of Halifax. They married on January 20th, 1941, in Joggins. During the turbulent years of the Second World War, Bertha lived with her husband both in Halifax and St. Johns, Nfld. After returning to Nova Scotia, they lived in Wellington, Elmsdale, and Armdale. Following Gordon??s retirement from military service in the late 1950s, they settled in Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, where they built and ran the former Marine Motel, now the Sherbrooke Village Inn, from 1959 to 1966. After leaving Sherbrooke, they moved to Fairview, Halifax County. In 1972, they moved to Bridgetown, Annapolis County. Widowed in 1973, Bertha went on to build a new and happy life for herself in her adopted home of Bridgetown. She was a lifetime member of the United Church of Canada, serving both as a long standing member of the church choir and the UCW. Bertha was also an active member of the Rebecca Lodge, starting in Joggins and continuing on throughout her life. Bertha is survived by her daughter, Karen (Burrell) of Victoria, BC; her son, Allan and partner, Stephen Mercer of Toronto, ON; son in law, Wayne MacPherson of Brockville, ON and grandsons, Alex and Scott MacPherson. She is also survived by her adoptive family Kilburn and Leona Currie of Bridgetown. She was predeceased by her husband, Gordon in 1973; daughters, Joanne in 1948 and Linda (MacPherson) in 2004 son Jerry in 2002, and son in law, Steve Burrell in 1999. A memorial service will be held on Monday, April 4th, at 2pm in the United Church, 298 Granville St., Bridgetown. Rev. Janis Campbell officiating. Private interment will take place at the Camp Hill Cemetery, Halifax at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The United Church of Canada, William Black Pastoral Charge, PO Box 118, Bridgetown, NS B0S 1C0, or to a charity of your choice. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Annapolis Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, Coldbrook. On line condolences may be made through www.annapolisvalleyfuneralhome.com