Mary Lloyd (Dow) Mills, 82, of Solvang, CA passed away on the morning of August 4, 2020. She was born in Midland, Michigan on August 9, 1937.
She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 63 years, Kendall Mills, their three children, Bonnie, David, and Chris Mills and their spouses, Doug Eicher, Wanda Mills, and Mireille Mills; their grandchildren Charles Dennis, Addison Mills, Taggart Mills, Tilly Mills, Marisol Mills, and Lautner Mills. She is also survived by her brother, Mike Dow and his family; and her sister, Barbara (Dow) Carras and her family.
Mary Lloyd, known to all as Lloyd, was a passionate and outspoken young person. She attended the Leelanau School in Michigan and then went on to Connecticut College for her freshman year. She began dating Ken Mills, who was a senior at Yale University, and there was no turning back. After her sophomore year of college, she married Ken and they moved to Kassel, Germany while he was serving in the U.S. Army. They loved their time in Germany and were able to take advantage of weekends away for visits to other areas of Europe. Lloyd and Ken returned to Michigan after their time in Germany. In 1962, Ken’s work brought him to Los Angeles, California. Settling in Pasadena, Lloyd kept busy raising her first two children and returning to college to earn her undergraduate degree. She graduated from Occidental College in 1965 with a degree in philosophy. Always interested in furthering her education, Lloyd later completed her Master’s Degree in German from UCSB in 1990.
After ten years in Pasadena, Lloyd, Ken, and their now three children moved to Solvang, California in June of 1972. They wanted a change of pace for their family and to spend more time outdoors. Lloyd fell in love with the Santa Ynez Valley and became even more passionate about spending time outside and developing her hiking skills. In 1978 with support from some very good friends, she led the effort to found the Santa Ynez Valley Women Hikers (SYVWH). She created this group, which still exists today and is well-regarded in the Santa Barbara County area, as a way to develop new friendships, nurture a strong feeling of camaraderie between members, explore new areas of the county’s many trails, all while staying in shape and spending time in the open air. This group of women became an important core of Lloyd’s social group, enlarging to include a book club, knitting and sewing circles, a bridge club, social events (men included here), and travel to other places to hike, in the U.S. and Europe.
In the late 1980s, Lloyd and Ken began to increase their travel and started taking hiking trips to the mountains of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In the mid-1990s they decided to go out on their own and lead organized trips of friends and other hikers. Lloyd never missed a summer going to her beloved mountains until this year when it became impossible to travel.
For many years from the 1960s-1980s, Lloyd and Ken were active members in the Christian Science Church in Pasadena and Ballard, and later the Unity Church in Santa Barbara. They were involved as leaders and supporters and made many friends both in Pasadena and Santa Barbara.
Lloyd was passionate about the arts and was an ongoing patron and supporter of the local theatre and music groups in Solvang and Santa Barbara. She gave generously of her time and served on the Board of CAMA (Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara) and many other local nonprofit community boards over the years.
Her family wishes to thank all of her dear friends for supporting Lloyd over the years and for bringing her so much joy. Those close to her gave meaning and purpose to her life in a way that all of her family appreciates and treasures.
A private gathering was held with a few family members on what would have been Lloyd’s 83rd birthday on August 9. A physically-distanced memorial was also held at Nojoqui Falls Park with her beloved hiking group, where all gathered in a circle and blew bubbles into the air in Lloyd’s honor. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lloyd’s name may be made to the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation at www.syvalleyfoundation.org or CAMA at www.camasb.org. Lloyd’s family knows that she built a strong community and that there are many who cared for her, but during this difficult time they ask that all refrain from reaching out to her husband, Ken.
