May Evaleen MILLING

MILLING, May Evaleen Born April 1, 1929. Passed away at 81 years old, after she went missing near Jasper, September 3, 2010. An extensive search lead to remnants of her car being found along and in the North Thompson River. May was living in Gibsons at the time and had gone to vacation in the Canadian Rockies. May was born in Vancouver during the depression, to Fanny Jones Milling. She was the youngest of three sisters, Edith and Dorothy. Her father, Edward Milling, believed in higher education for his daughters at a time when many did not. May got her Bachelor of Science and Agriculture from UBC, and then worked for the Provincial Government as a Medical Bacteriologist. She subsequently advanced further in her career as the Supervisor of the Microbiology Laboratory, Western Region, Health Protection Branch, Health and Welfare, Canada. She recalled the greatest achievement of her career as having prevented deaths from the two Botulism outbreaks, White Spot and Pan Pacific Hotel. She had many interests over the years, loving animals, field hockey, golf, fishing, gardening and traveling. In retirement she bought a 22' cabin cruiser, long a dream of hers, boating on the Sunshine Coast. She had traveled each summer to Banff and Jasper, to enjoy the beauty and habitat of the Canadian Rockies. May shared a home for over 40 years with two other women, the three were fondly known as the ""Golden Girls"". A Memorial celebration to her life will be held in Gibsons, May 1st, 2011. Her life long friends and surviving nieces and nephews will miss her. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, Every clearing and humming insect is holy in memory and the spirit lives on in us. - Chief Seattle, 1854