Cecelia Carol Mills

Cecelia Carol Mills of Honeoye Falls, NY, passed on peacefully on December 16th, 2025, with her loving husband Charlie by her side. She grew up in Gainesville, NY and graduated from Letchworth Central School. Then she attended Buffalo State College earning a BS Degree in Education and furthered her studies with graduate courses at SUNY Geneseo.

Cecelia touched many lives as a home economics teacher at Keshequa Central School in Nunda, NY and later as a remedial reading teacher at the Dalton Elementary campus. Her involvement in school musicals, enabled her to share her talents and enthusiasm for music and theater, as she loved singing. She also enjoyed playing bassoon and piano. She was a devoted member of the First Church of Christ Scientist, East Rochester, NY. Her faith was a cornerstone of her life, guiding her as a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

Cecelia's hobbies and interests painted the picture of a life richly lived. She was a member of the Fillmore, NY Eastern Stars. Her love for the outdoors was evident in her beautiful flower and vegetable gardens, and she found joy in baking cookies and pies with her grandchildren. Cecelia also enjoyed antiquing and collecting salt dips, dolls, vinyl records, and books. In 1993, she married Charles Mills on his sailboat and enjoyed many adventures together boating on Lake Ontario and along the East Coast.

Cecelia is survived by her husband Charles Mills, her daughters: Amy (Bill) Nisbet and Elizabeth (Lance) Seger, stepchildren: Gregory (Sandy) Mills and Debbie Penna (David Conover), grandchildren: Stephanie, Chelsea, William, Jared, Dylan, and Lucy and great-grandchildren: Rocco, Maya, Connor, Elena, Isaiah, Avaleigh, and August, siblings: Alice Barker and David DeRycke and many nieces and nephews. Cecelia was preceded in death by her parents, Marie Helen and Isidore DeRycke, and siblings: Janet Ferington, Bernard DeRycke, Rolanda VandenBosch, Roberta DeRycke and Larry DeRycke.

Please join us for Cecelia Carol Mills' Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026 at 11:00am.
First Church of Christ, Scientist East Rochester
1104 Main Street
East Rochester, NY 14445
Luncheon to follow at:
Nazareth University
Medaille Formal Lounge
4245 East Avenue
Rochester, NY. 14618
12:30 - 2:30pm

Directions for the luncheon at Nazareth University:
Enter from East Ave. onto South Campus Dr. to parking Lot A. It is the only entrance to the campus with a traffic light. Look for purple Nazareth Special Event signs with directions from Lot A Medaille Formal Lounge. From the rear of Lot A, go up the stairs and to the right. Follow the walking path past the Founders Hall (on the left) and continue to veer to the left at the fork. The next building is Medaille Formal Lounge. Enter up the ramp through the side door. If you need to be dropped off closer to the Medaille building and have us park your car, please call Amy Nisbet or post a message here.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: CedarS CampS or your local Hospice home.