Mrs. Moon was a Distinguished Graduate of Girl's Preparatory School of Chattanooga and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. Her life's work reflected her early recognition that educated women have substantive responsibilities to their communities. For more than 60 years, her services to volunteer organizations, particularly in the areas of the arts and cultural history, in both Chattanooga, TN, and Trenton, NJ reflected this belief.
From 1957 - 1965, after moving to Trenton, NJ with her first husband, William Steward Mills, she served as Chairman of the Children's Theater and Provisional Chairman of the Junior League of Trenton. In 1966 she became President of that organization and during her tenure, the League gave the first purchase award to the New Jersey State Museum and supplied its first docents. In 1968 she became the Founding President of the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum, the volunteer support and fund-raising group. Thereafter, she was appointed member of the New Jersey State Council of the Arts by then-Republican Governor William Cahill. Notably, succeeding governors, both Republican and Democrat, continued to appoint her to the Council for more than ten years.
She served two terms as President of the Old Barracks Association; she was a member of the Board of Trustees for the McCarter Theater in Princeton; and a member of the Mercer County Cultural Heritage Commission as well as an active member of the Colonial Dames of America.
She was always an artist in her own right and began her long love of flower arranging at an early age. In 1984 she became the President of the Garden Club of Trenton and continued a devoted career to the study of plants/flowers and arrangements through the Garden Club of Lookout Mountain until her death.
The list of awards and attributes to her skills is lengthy, but perhaps most notably in 2002, the Garden Club established “The Janet Mills Moon Zone Judging Award” for outstanding contributions.
She is survived by her five children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Her children are Ann Elizabeth Mills (Charlottesville, VA), Fleury Mills Sommers (Houston, Texas), Manker Patten Mills (Trenton, New Jersey), Mary Mills Barrow (Chicago, Ill), and William Joseph Mills (New York, NY).
She was the daughter of David Manker Patten and Norma Flowerree Patten of Chattanooga, and sister to Flowerree Whitaker Oaks also of Chattanooga.
Memorial services will be held Saturday, August 12th at 1st Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to 1st Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga, Outreach Program (Flowers), or to any volunteer organization of your choice.
Arrangements are under the care of the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com
