Theda Millis
WATERPORT – Theda Jane Toms Powley Millis passed away peacefully with family at her side on January 30, 2025, following a brief illness. She was born on February 25, 1930, and was the only child of Neil and Irene (Fisk) Toms.
Theda grew up in Lyndonville and cherished the many hours spent with her family and the friends made during her childhood years.
Theda married Francis E. Powley of Medina on July 14, 1946, and moved to Fruit Avenue where she was his helpmate in running the family dairy farm. Together, they raised five children, Ted, Tom, Penny, Tim, and Patrice, and lost an infant son, Todd. Fran and Theda enjoyed 40 years of marriage until his passing in 1987.
Once her family was grown, Theda answered a personal calling to become a nurse at age 53. Upon graduating as an LPN from the BOCES program, she was immediately hired as a medications nurse at Orchard Manor Nursing Home in Medina. She was devoted to caring for her patients and truly loved her job.
Her work at Orchard Manor also brought a new acquaintance into her life, and she found a second chance at love with Roger A. Millis of Waterport. They married on July 18, 1993, and Theda and Roger delighted in being part of each other’s family and circle of friends. She supported his work as an apple farmer and Town of Carlton Supervisor. They traveled often and enjoyed 22 years of marriage until Roger’s passing in 2016.
Theda was a devout Christian, first active at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, then Ashwood Wesleyan Church, and finally Carlton United Methodist Church. She was a member of several organizations, including the Eastern Star and Daughters of the American Revolution. She served as Secretary-Treasurer and Director for West Ridgeway Cemetery, volunteered for Red Cross blood drives, played organ for sing-alongs at Orchard Manor, and enjoyed participating in Busy Buddies and Johnson Creek Seniors. These activities and the people she met along the way brought much joy and fulfillment to her life.
Besides her parents, husbands, and infant son, Theda was predeceased by her son Ted Powley and granddaughters Pamela DeFazio LaPrairie and Kayla Babus.
Theda is survived by children, Thomas Powley of Topsham, VT, Penny (David) Nice of Albion, NY, Timothy (Melisa) Powley of Granville, NY, and Patrice (Christopher) Birner of Middleport, NY; daughters-in-law, Marilyn Powley and Barbara Powley; as well as grandchildren, John (Michelle) Powley, Jennifer (Whit) Sprague, Jeremy (April) Powley, Jason (Erin) Powley, Jill Cutolo, Kelly (Fred) Smith, Michelle (Justin) Keyes, Thomas (Amber) Powley, Bela Babus, Erika Babus and Nicole (Dan) McKee; 18 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren with another on the way.
The family she gained through Roger includes LuAnn (Tim) Tierney, Jim (Louise) Millis, and Patti (Brian) Maney and their children and grandchildren.
She enjoyed relationships with her cousins Randy Smythe and Jeff (Linda) Smythe plus her nephews and their families. Theda was especially blessed to receive a pen pal when she was in 6th grade and continued a close relationship with Margaret Smith of Bishop Briggs, Scotland, for the rest of her life.
Please join her family in remembering a life well-lived with visitation at Bogan Tuttle Funeral
Home, 112 N Main Street, Lyndonville, NY, 14098, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, February 7, with a celebration of life at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 8. Interment will take place at West Ridgeway Cemetery at a later date in the spring.
Theda loved flowers, but please consider a donation to the Lyndonville Area Foundation in
honor of her lifelong connection to her hometown in lieu of flowers. Please mail to Lyndonville Area Foundation, PO Box 545, Lyndonville, NY 14098 and note Ted Powley Scholarship.
Please light a candle or share a memory of Theda at www.bogantuttlefunerals.com.
