Mary W. Mills

03/04/1931 - 05/29/2022

Mary W. Mills, 91, of Dover, NH, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 29, surrounded by family. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Mary was born March 4, 1931, in New York City to Doris C. Wilson and Irwin S. Wilson and raised in Charlotte, NC, by her grandmother, Mary Grimes Caldwell. At a young age, she developed a love for musical performance which became her career. As a mezzo-soprano and a charter member of what was then the Charlotte Opera Association, she performed lead roles in many of its productions from 1950-1954. At the age of 22, she moved to New York City to study at the Mannes School of Music and further pursue her singing career. Within one year of arriving in New York, she became a lead vocalist for Phil Spitalny & His All-Girl Orchestra, touring and recording with Spitalny.

Eventually becoming weary of touring, Mary decided to step back from her singing career and began working in fashion public relations where she met the love of her life, Crawford, while working for Catalina Swimwear. In 1958 they married and settled in Los Angeles, CA and had three children. In 1971 they returned to the east coast and were residents of Old Greenwich and Riverside CT for many decades. Always, Mary continued to sing and was an active member of The Greenwich Choral Society including serving as its president and a member of the choir at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Riverside. Later in her life, Mary decided to return to college and in 1993 at the age of 62, graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Humanities. One of her proudest achievements.

Mary is survived by her daughter Amy M. Oliva and spouse Steve Oliva (Dover, NH), her son Andrew A. Mills and spouse Minda Grace Ware (Pasadena, CA); her grandchildren James Cunningham, Cecilia C. Patterson, Frank Mills, and Bridget Mills; and greatgranddaughter, Grace Mary Patterson. She was predeceased by her husband, C. Crawford Mills Jr., and her son C. Crawford (Tres) Mills, III.

A memorial service will be held in the future.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. George’s Episcopal Church, 1 Park Court, Durham, NH 03824, with Music Fund noted on the memo line.

Visit www.kentandpelczarfh.com to sign an online guestbook.