Patricia Mills

On February 17, 2026, Patricia Mills passed away peacefully at the Vista Specialty Hospital in Tucson, AZ.

Patricia Mills (Card) was born in Queens, NY to the late William and Margaret Card on September 7, 1941. She was a very sweet and adventurous girl with beautiful red hair. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Millstone, NJ. She enjoyed sharing her early memories of learning to swim in the Millstone River at 2 years old and admired her independent spirit at a young age to collect soda bottles for bus fare to catch a matinee when she was 7. Her love of cinema continued her entire life, and she enjoyed watching TCM and sharing facts about the actors and actresses of Classic Hollywood.

She was then raised in several small towns in Upstate NY because her Dad worked as a Land Surveyor for the State of NY. She appreciated the beauty of country living and fondly remembered the walks she would take with her Dad, brothers and the family dogs. After graduating from Downsville High School in Downsville, NY, in 1959, she lived and worked in the Upstate NY area for a short time and her adventurous spirit led her to a move to NYC. She worked as an executive assistant at Moore Mc Cormack Shipping Company and remembered those years as the best time in her life.

As many women of her generation, her independent lifestyle ended when she married, in 1964. In 1965, her first cherished child, Mary Frances, was born in Brooklyn. Two years after Mary Frances' birth, she became paralyzed on the left side of her body due to a rare tumor on her spinal cord. She enjoyed sharing her incredible story of survival and that her Neurosurgeon later would write a book and she was featured in one of the chapters, titled, "Patricia Walks."

And Patricia walked on with a great sense of humor, kindness and a dedication to her 3 children as a single mother. She would live on Staten Island and Long Island, NY, before her move to Winsted, CT, in 1985.

Although she missed NY, she would soon appreciate the beauty of the Northwest Corner and became an active member of the community, volunteering her time to the Inland Wetlands Commission, Winchester Disability Board, and the Winchester Democratic Town Committee. She took great pride in her involvement with the Winchester Disability Committee for the passage of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990.

She was a lifelong Democrat and worked on several political campaigns. Her political involvement led to 2 invitations to the Presidential Inaugural Ball, attending in 1989 and 1993.

In addition to her commitment to the community, she fulfilled her goal of earning her degree in Paralegal Studies at Northwestern Community College at the age of 50 and had many interests. In particular, she would enjoy last minute road trips with family and friends, gardening, discovering estate sales, theater, Broadway Musicals, Irish music, watching Jeopardy, following current events, learning about American History and discovering more about her family history, which included finding out she was a direct descendant of Governor Bradford.

She had a wonderful memory and enjoyed sharing stories about her family and was very proud of her Irish lineage. For her 65th birthday, her daughter, Diane, surprised her with a 2-week trip to Ireland where she connected with her Irish roots by connecting with a relative in Limerick County. She would fondly look back on that trip as a trip of a lifetime.

She worked as an assistant to the Director of the Winsted Senior Center before her retirement in 2015. She enjoyed interacting with the staff and members of the Senior Center. During her employment, she was honored as Mayor of Winsted for St. Patrick's Day in 2011, which was a highlight for her.

After retirement, she would relocate to Las Vegas and then a recent move to AZ. She enjoyed the warmer climate and was able to celebrate a memorable 80th Birthday with her daughter, Diane and her niece, Jackie, in Las Vegas.

Patricia was predeceased by her parents, brothers Jack and William Card and her sister-in-law, Yoshiko Card, her daughter, Mary Frances and son, George Mills.

And is survived by her daughter, Diane Carlucci of AZ, her younger brother, Dennis Card and niece, Jackie Esack (Card) of PA.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Downsville, NY, at a later date. Details will be provided closer to the Celebration.