OBITUARY
Eleanor "Melli" M. Mills
August 30, 1922 – July 9, 2019
IN THE CARE OF
Teague Funeral Service
Eleanor “Melli” M. Mills, 96, of Charlottesville, passed away July 9, 2019. She was born August 30, 1922, a daughter of the late James Hooper and Frances Marion (Pickett) Mellichamp.
An indifferent student in youth, Melli went back to school at fifty and earned an RN degree cum laude. A published poet, she was known for her sense of humor. One of her favorite sayings, “We grow too soon old and too late smart.”
A self-described “accomplished failure” who grew
“too soon old, and too late smart.”
A minimally published poet, avid reader, and designer
of three houses in which she and family lived.
A wise-cracker with a macabre sense of humor.
Self-educated with obvious gaps,
and jealous of others.
Described by father as “born lazy which greatly
Enhanced her birth-right.”
Prolific writer of drivel and buyer of books.
A lover of words and mathematical idiot.
Realized too late that she lacked empathy,
She worked on it.
Lived a long life because she needed to
In order to work on failings.
Learned a lot but never enough.
In addition to her parents, Eleanor was preceded in death by her first husband, Norman Griffith Smith Sr.; second husband, John G. Mills; a son, Norman G. Smith, Jr.; her daughter, Claudia Carol Duffy; a brother, James Hooper Mellichamp II; and a sister, Frances Marion Mellichamp. She was a grateful descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Surviving is her son, Randolph Smith and his wife Barbara; her daughter, Amy Smith; six grandchildren, Justin Smith, Timothy Smith, Andrew Smith, Aileen Duffy, Erin Duffy, and Barclay Duffy; and four great-grandchildren, Moriah, Coen, Elyese, and Dylan.
A private graveside service will be held at a later date at Pohick Episcopal Church Cemetery, an area in Northern Virginia under-recognized by modern historians.
The family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Arc of the Piedmont, 1149 Rose Hill Dr, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
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- Arc of the Piedmont 1149 Rose Hill Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
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Eleanor "Melli" M. Mills
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