Barry Arthur Mills

Barry Arthur Mills passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at Calgary, Alberta, at the grand old age of 99 years. Barry is survived and lovingly remembered by his sons Ken (Michelle) and Rob, and daughter Shelley (Terry), as well as his grandchildren Barbra (Chris), Jacquie (Chris), Lauren (Michael), Mackenzie (Mary), Krista (Brennon) and Shayla (Dallon), and great-grandchildren Tyson, Alexis and Owen, Emma, Julia and Thomas. Barry’s heavenly flight with the angels was preceded by those of his beloved wife Thelma (2006), his loving sister-in-law Nolene (2014), and his parents Francis and Dorothy and brothers Kenneth and Frank.

Barry was an interesting fellow and a great conversationalist. His life’s work – in geology – was a subject of endless fascination for him and opened the door for many adventures along the way. His grandchildren remember endless chats about rocks and “higher mathematics”, while his own children recall that no trip to the mountains was complete without a lesson on the geological formations and oddities encountered along on the way. After graduating from University of Alberta with a degree in geology, Barry worked for Mobil Oil in Edmonton. Later, when the company moved headquarters to Calgary in the early 1960’s, he moved as well, raising his family in Calgary and volunteering with community service organizations such as the Gyro Club and Meals on Wheels, where he made many friends and enjoyed a great social life. In the mid 1970’s, as the oil industry flourished across the globe, Barry took the chance on a post in Libya, and moved his family half-way across the world in furtherance of his career with Umm Al Jawaby, the Libyan National Oil Company (formerly Texaco). Ken, Shelley and Rob have fond memories of life overseas as young ex-patriots, living in a flower-filled villa in Tripoli, complete with staff (much to Thelma’s delight), and resident desert dog Norbert, who eventually made the trek back to Canada when the family’s time abroad was done.

Many thanks are due to Barry’s caregivers at Extendicare Cedars Villa and to the St. Barnabas Anglican Church ministry and community, where Barry served as a volunteer and usher for many years. As Barry had, with the grace of God, survived most if not all of his contemporaries, there will be no funeral. Instead, there will be a celebration of his life at a later date (TBD) when family will be able to gather from across the country and Barry’s ashes will be interred alongside Thelma’s in the Memorial Gardens at St. Barnabas at 1407 - 7 Avenue N.W., Calgary. At this time, flowers are gratefully declined, but if friends so desire, memorial donations may be made to a charity of one's choice. Cremation arrangements in care of SOUTH CALGARY FUNERAL CENTRE & CREMATORIUM 12700 Macleod Trail South, Calgary Telephone: 403-297-0711.