We are saddened to share that Joyce Aileen Leman Mills, 94, passed away at Brookdale Skyline, Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 30, 2025, after an eight-month battle with cancer. Family was the centerpiece of her life until the day she passed--she was still active, eagerly preparing to host family members, the afternoon she passed. She is survived by two sons, six grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.

Joyce was born August 15, 1931, and grew up in Auburn and Worcester, Massachusetts as the only child of Clifton and Edna Leman. She was raised with a strong sense of faith, family, and commitment to the community, seasoned with spirit, adventure, and independent thinking. In her teens she was an active member of the fledgling Girl Scouts of America and enjoyed cycling, camping, skiing, and traveling throughout the northeast. While visiting the Washington, D.C. area she met an Air Force weatherman, Marcus “Mark” Mills of Albemarle, NC, who she married on June 20, 1953. They moved around West Virginia, including White Sulphur Springs, Charleston, and Pinch, before moving finally to Marion, VA, in 1973, where Mark passed November 22, 2000. Along the way they graduated both sons from the US Air Force Academy and loved exploring the world at their sons’ various military assignments, including multiple trips to England, Australia, and Germany.

Throughout her loving family life, Joyce also enjoyed a career in her community. Her roles included running a local insurance agent’s office, an elementary school instructional materials center, and administration for the Director of Human Relations at a regional medical center. At her heart, Joyce was a people person. She stayed in touch with friends from childhood and every place she and Mark lived. She was the consummate hostess, always ready for drop-in friends and family, and a core member of the neighborhood bridge group. She was always ready with a smile and a hand, and not afraid to speak up—traditional, stable, but quick with “continuous improvement” when needed.

Joyce’s Anglican and Episcopalian faith was a lifelong spiritual anchor that she passed on to her sons, and it continues to serve them well throughout their lives. At Christ Episcopal Church in Marion, she was very active in altar guild and church leadership, and she continued that service at St. George’s Anglican church when she moved to Colorado Springs. When her mobility became impaired, she attended services and Bible studies through public transportation and televised church services, including the day she passed.

We do, and will continue, to miss her, but know she is in the richness and peace of Heaven.

A funeral service will be celebrated at St. George’s Anglican Church, 217 East Pikes Peak Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO, at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2026; reception to follow in the church fellowship hall. Joyce will be buried with her husband, Mark, at the Fairview Cemetery, Albemarle, NC, in early April 2026. Details will be published when arrangements are completed.

Memorials instead of flowers can be made to the Pikes Peak Hospice Foundation, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St., Colorado Springs, CO 80906-3998, or in Joyce’s name to a charity of your choice.