Millie Billey

Millie (Melania) Miley 

August 15, 1930 — January 11, 2022 

Millie was born in Shandro, AB and  moved to Clayhurst with her parents, Sidor and Anna Cembrowsky  in 1931  to the families  homestead. 

Millie was the oldest of 5 children attending school in Clayhurst. Ukrainian was  her first language and at school she learned English which she then came home  and taught her parents. Her 'school bus' was a horse named Sandy  and could be counted on to get her to and from school on difficult trails and in variable weather. Between Clayhurst, correspondence and  Doe River School, she completed grade 10. School friends remained close over  the years and some were even neighbours again in her senior years. 

Millie met her future husband Bill when his family came to homestead  in Cherry Point. The families knew each other from 
the AB  district where all the parents originally came from. October 28, 1949  they were married in All Saints Church in Cherry  Point. The church is still in use today. Both their children and two of their grandchildren were baptised there as well. 

Bill had a homestead as well as farming his late father's land and they  worked out in winter to be able to continue making 
improvements. Mavis  was born in 1954 and Barry in 1960. In 1953 they settled at the Clayhurst Ferry landing where Bill worked  on the ferry until 1965. In 1962 they had purchased land 
across the road from the Clayhurst School and moved into their newly built Beaver Lumber bought home in 1964. Over the next 
few years Millie was the school janitor as well as selling milk, cream  and eggs. 

When  the local store closed in 1967 she became the postmaster and continued in that position until retiring to Fort St. John in 
1997.  She raised pigs, cows, chickens, rescued cats and dogs and doted  on her grandchildren as they arrived. She grew large gardens every year and took great pride in her yard, spending hours hoeing, weeding and watering. 

Weekends  were spent travelling in the motor home usually with one or more grandchild in tow. They truly enjoyed showing the kids the country while showing off their grandkids to everyone they knew. The grandkids saw a lot of countryside from the front bed window of the motor home. She always made time for the grandkids, whatever they needed, whenever needed. Once retired in town, life became slower and Millie started doing taste testing samples at local grocery stores to pass the time. It became almost another full time job and she very much enjoyed meeting new people. Just a few months after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, Bill suddenly passed away and Millie found the house and yard too much work so she chose to move  into the newly built Heritage Manor in May 2002. The grandkids were completing school, getting married and presenting her with new babies to fuss over. `Gammy' enjoyed watching them grow, only spoiled them a little bit and even to her last days would ask how they were all doing. She attended their special events whenever she could and was proud of their accomplishments. She shared her cooking skills, Ukrainian special dishes in particular, with the girls so that the traditions she grew up with would be carried on. 
Here she again had time for her love of gardening. She took pride in developing and improving the gardens around the buildings and accordingly the building won awards for their 
efforts. 

Unfortunately her health deteriorated and could no longer live on  her own.  December 24, 2014 she settled into Peace Villa Care  Home  and adjusted to a new way of life. She kept mobile in her new 'wheels', learned to use her left hand no thanks to arthritis claiming the right one. She was known for her quiet, pleasant nature and always to be on time. 

Millie was predeceased by her infant daughter Diane Marie, parents Anna and Sidor Cembrowsky,  husband Bill, and brother Mike Cembrowsky. 

She will be ever in the hearts of daughter Mavis and Dennis Nelson, granddaughters: Annamari  and Tom, Brooke and Jack; Loreta and Tom, Joel and Jillian; son Barry and Tami Woods: granddaughters Mellisa, Landen, Carmen and Ethan; Amber, Linden and Tripp; grandsons Jared, Mya and Gracelyn; Liam and Clinton. Her sisters Pearl and Bob Jerome, MaryAnn Wall, Jean and Bernie Smith. Sister-in-laws Doris Billey, Sharron Billey, Marlys Sluggett, Teresa Edinger and Stella and Howard Ness. Also numerous nieces and nephews. 

Our thanks to the Peace Villa administration, activities and staff of Tulip Lane for their care and attention over the last 7 years. 

A celebration of life will be held in the spring when the grass is green and gardens are ready for planting.