Whitman Memorial Library Trustee Jane Mills’ family came to a dedication in her honor on July 17. Sandy Wheeler, from left, Brenda Blaisdell, Nathan Mills, Sam Mills, Paula Lamb, Alice Deegan, Hailey and Amelia Benson, Michelle Benson, Caroline Harvey, Sarah Heuveline, Seth and Owen Heuveline, and Rachel Scribner. submitted photo

WOODSTOCK — A dedication for Jane (Smith) Mills was held Monday, July 15 at Woodstock’s Whitman Memorial Library. Mills’ children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and nieces attended along with Librarian Pat Little, Town Manager Vern Maxfield and library trustees

The former trustee, now deceased, served the library for 15 years.

New dogwood bushes and a memorial garden plaque were installed in her honor in front of the library on route 26.

Jane Smith Mills, the daughter of Edmund and Clara Smith, grew up on the family farm in Mason Township. Along with her two older brothers, Albert and Charles, she described her childhood on the farm as “akin to being in heaven.” She especially enjoyed caring for the calves in the barn and was active in 4-H showing her Baby Beef steers at fairs throughout New England.

Mills attended Bethel Grammar School and, following her graduation from Gould Academy, was accepted at Mary Hitchcock School of Nursing in Hanover, NH. She graduated in 1958 and became a board-certified registered nurse in October of that year.

Following her marriage to Milton Mills, the couple began their life together at their home on the shores of Lake Christopher in Bryant Pond. Mills worked as a full-time registered nurse until she became a full-time mother of four children: Paula, Nathan, Rachel and Chris.

Mills pursued many interests over her lifetime. She was a talented seamstress, quilter, and gardener. She remained involved in the Bryant Pond community as an active member of the Bryant Pond Baptist Church and Trustee of the Whitman Memorial Library from 2007 to 2022.

A dedication for Whitman Memorial Library Trustee Jane Mills was held July 17. Her children, Nathan Mills, Rachel Scribner, and Paula Lamb with Mills’ niece library trustee Alice Deegan, center, with Librarian Pat Little, far left and Town Manager, Vern Maxfield, far right. submitted photo