JACKSON, MI – The Mary Theresa Mills Endowment Fund was created to honor Mary Mills and her dedication to Jackson’s St. John Elementary School.
The Jackson Community Foundation approved the creation of the endowment to support Jackson Catholic Schools. The Jackson Community Foundation was founded in 1948 to assist those looking to give back to Jackson County through endowments, grants and scholarships.
Mary Mills died unexpectedly in her sleep of a congenital heart defect April 17, 2019.
Mary’s husband, Rick, has been a Jackson Community Foundation trustee for several years. He had talked about starting a fund with Mary, but he did not expect to do it so soon or to do it in Mary’s memory.
They both graduated from Lumen Christi Catholic School in 1997.
“She was my high school sweetheart and best friend,” Rick Mills said. “We made every decision in our lives together ever since we were both 16-year-old-kids.”
Mary was a volunteer at St. John, where their children Theresa, Brian and Joseph attend. She was best known at the school as a Girl Scout leader, Rick Mills said.
“She loved to be a ‘school mom,’” he said. “Everyone at the school knew Mary.”
The fund was created to support St. John and Lumen Christi. Rick Mills hopes to teach their kids about philanthropy through the fund, he said.
“I wanted the kids to see that even though their mother led a quiet and modest life as a so-called ‘stay-at-home mom,' she left a deep and lasting legacy on her community that will continue," he said.