St. Regis resident reflects on 105 years of life
Wendy Mills, who will be 105 on Saturday, July 2, holds pictures of her only daughter and her grandson along with a picture of her husband on their wedding day. She has been a resident of Mineral Community Hospital for almost 2 years.
Wendy Mills (Stickland) was born in Dorchester, England during World War I, and on July 2, 2022, she will be 105 years old.
She has been a resident in the long-term care center of Mineral Community Hospital for almost two years, but prior to that she was living in St. Regis to be near her oldest grandson who is 56.
She married her husband, William George Mills, in 1940 after he was "called up to be in the war," but they did this before he left to fight. She became pregnant right away.
In 1957, she came over on the Queen Mary with her husband, and their daughter who was their only child. “Most of my life I lived in Long Beach after leaving England,” she shared as she looked at her photo album. “My sister married an American and I promised that we’d come over if she needed us. Well, she was lonesome.”
They sold everything and made the move to "the colonies," but sadly, William passed away 12 years after their move to the U.S.
“I stayed with the same wedding ring,” she whispered, meaning that she never did remarry.
Mills was a baby sitter in England and in California because, “It was fun, and I liked being with the children.”
As far as family, she had brothers and sisters, but they have all died so she spent many years living with her daughter.
She modeled professionally and smiles when she said she had lots and lots of boyfriends.
“I used to go to all of the dances and read the numbers out in the dance halls for people to pair up and dance.”
Her chosen type of music for dancing?
“Any kind of music, really. But not that cheap stuff. Foxtrot, waltzes, and tangos were the best.”
Mills is full of laughter when she forgets names, yet she doesn’t become frustrated because of the memory loss. She does, however, chalk her longevity up to, “Dancing! Loads of dancing and I took care of myself in what I ate. I never drank. I never smoked. I’ve never taken drugs.”
Looking over her shoulder at the last 38,325 days, her best one is remembered without hesitation.
“The day that my daughter was born. I loved here dearly,” she said in her elegant British accent.
Her daughter died two years ago at the age of 80, which set the gears in motion for Mills' move to Montana that commenced on July 2, 1917.