Obituary for Naomi Gertrude Mills (Olsen)
NAOMI GERTRUDE OLSEN MILLS
The heavens gained an earthly angel when Naomi Gertrude Mills, 82, passed away Friday, May 12, 2023, in Kansas City, Kan. A petite woman in stature, she was renowned for her enormous generosity and gregarious, loving spirit, Naomi was born Jan. 15, 1941, in Eau Claire, Wis., to Vincent and Gertrude Olsen.
Naomi moved to Hinsdale, Ill., where she completed high school. She then moved to Lawrence, Kan., to attend the University of Kansas. She completed her undergraduate and master's degrees in education, in addition to attending school at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, before moving to Olathe, Kan., to work for Olathe Schools. She then went to work for the Bonner Springs School District as a music teacher in the Head Start program. She worked in USD #204 for more than 30 years, as an early childhood teacher and eventually, the Director of the Head Start program.
While working at Head Start, Naomi met her husband, John Dee Mills, and they were married nearly 46 years. Naomi had two daughters - Sun Dee and Kay Cee - and she turned raising them into a second career. She instilled in them her love for travel by taking them to visit their grandparents, who resided in Atlanta, Ga., every summer. She carted them to dance lessons, sports practices, musicals, and their first jobs. Naomi poured her heart and soul into her girls and inspired them both to pursue teaching - Kay Cee, an award-winning high school Spanish teacher for 25 years, and Sun Dee, who at only eight years in, is just getting started in a third career in elementary education.
Naomi was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her stepdaughter, Debra DeAnn Wagner Beaver, and her stepson, John Charles Mills. She is survived by her daughters, Sun Dee Mills McCauley, with her husband, Thomas McCauley, and Kay Cee Mills, with her partner, Jeremy Moulin; her grandchildren: John Travis (J.T.) Wagner, Ross Paver Wagner, Magnus Mills Larson, and Leif Ingram Larson; and her beloved cats, Lily and Inky.
Friends may attend a visitation and a celebration of Naomi's life on Friday, May 19, at Alden-Harrington Funeral Home, 214 Oak Street, Bonner Springs, Kan. The visitation will begin at 10 a.m., and the celebration service will follow at 11 a.m. Please add a touch of pink to your attire for the service, as that would bring much delight to Naomi. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Naomi's name may be made to Alley Cat Allies, a charity devoted to improving the lives of cats, or the Bonner Animal Rescue.
The heavens gained an earthly angel when Naomi Gertrude Mills, 82, passed away Friday, May 12, 2023, in Kansas City, Kan. A petite woman in stature, she was renowned for her enormous generosity and gregarious, loving spirit, Naomi was born Jan. 15, 1941, in Eau Claire, Wis., to Vincent and Gertrude Olsen.
Naomi moved to Hinsdale, Ill., where she completed high school. She then moved to Lawrence, Kan., to attend the University of Kansas. She completed her undergraduate and master's degrees in education, in addition to attending school at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, before moving to Olathe, Kan., to work for Olathe Schools. She then went to work for the Bonner Springs School District as a music teacher in the Head Start program. She worked in USD #204 for more than 30 years, as an early childhood teacher and eventually, the Director of the Head Start program.
While working at Head Start, Naomi met her husband, John Dee Mills, and they were married nearly 46 years. Naomi had two daughters - Sun Dee and Kay Cee - and she turned raising them into a second career. She instilled in them her love for travel by taking them to visit their grandparents, who resided in Atlanta, Ga., every summer. She carted them to dance lessons, sports practices, musicals, and their first jobs. Naomi poured her heart and soul into her girls and inspired them both to pursue teaching - Kay Cee, an award-winning high school Spanish teacher for 25 years, and Sun Dee, who at only eight years in, is just getting started in a third career in elementary education.
Naomi was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her stepdaughter, Debra DeAnn Wagner Beaver, and her stepson, John Charles Mills. She is survived by her daughters, Sun Dee Mills McCauley, with her husband, Thomas McCauley, and Kay Cee Mills, with her partner, Jeremy Moulin; her grandchildren: John Travis (J.T.) Wagner, Ross Paver Wagner, Magnus Mills Larson, and Leif Ingram Larson; and her beloved cats, Lily and Inky.
Friends may attend a visitation and a celebration of Naomi's life on Friday, May 19, at Alden-Harrington Funeral Home, 214 Oak Street, Bonner Springs, Kan. The visitation will begin at 10 a.m., and the celebration service will follow at 11 a.m. Please add a touch of pink to your attire for the service, as that would bring much delight to Naomi. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Naomi's name may be made to Alley Cat Allies, a charity devoted to improving the lives of cats, or the Bonner Animal Rescue.