Mary Mills

Mary Jane (Dennis) Mills, 82, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 30 at her home in Newcastle WY.

Mary was born July 16, 1940 to Wilbur Edwin and Ellen Marie (Pedersen) Dennis Sr. on the family farm near Padroni CO.  She attended schools in and around Snyder CO until 1956, when she moved to Newcastle to live with her older sister, Anna Mae (Ann).  Mary worked part-time jobs while attending school, including the bakery on Main Street and the telephone offices on Sumner Avenue as a switchboard operator.  1956 was also the year she met her high school sweetheart and forever love, Ronald Lee (Ronnie) Mills.  Mary and Ronnie graduated together from Newcastle High School in May 1958 and were married soon after on October 10 at the First United Methodist Church in Newcastle.

After high school, Mary moved from duty station to duty station with Ronnie while he served in the US Navy.  They called Norman OK and Millington TN home before moving to Port Hueneme CA where their sons, Chris and Craig, were born in 1959 and 1960.  After his honorable discharge in 1961, Mary and Ronnie brought their young family back to Newcastle to make their home.

While Ronnie was involved in multiple business ventures with his dad, Vern, Mary was content working at home, raising two active boys, and supporting their participation in sports, academics, after-school events and summer activities.  Eventually, Mary took on the bookkeeping responsibilities for Newcastle Equipment -- the family business -- from Ronnie’s mom, Vi.  She loved working with numbers and money, even though she’d be the first to say she didn’t think she was that great at math in school.  Mary continued to get payroll out every week like clockwork, right up to the Friday before her passing.

Mary loved doing home improvement projects with family, reading romance novels, completing the weekly TV Guide crossword puzzle, and traveling with Ronnie on school activity trips.  She was a loving wife, mom, grandma, sister, aunt, cousin and friend, and she will be remembered fondly for years to come.

Mary is survived by son Chris (Tonia) Mills, grandsons Tyler Mills and Kyle (Kayla) Mills, and great grandchildren Ashlynn Mills and Karben Mills of Newcastle WY; and son Craig (Candy) Mills of Clive IA, granddaughters Cailee Mills of Orlando FL and Caitlin Mills of Omaha NE, and grandson Carter Mills of Fairbanks AK.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Ronald Lee (Ronnie) Mills, her parents, Wilbur and Ellen (Pedersen) Dennis Sr., her in-laws, Vernard and Viola (Peyton) Mills, and her nine (9) siblings -- five (5) sisters and four (4) brothers.

A joint graveside inurnment service will be held for Mary and Ronnie at a later date.  Condolences may be sent to the family in care of Meridian Mortuary, 111 S Railway Avenue, Newcastle WY 82701.

Expressions of sympathy may be made online at www.meridianmortuary.com.