November 21, 1944 – December 30, 2025
It is with great sorrow, but also with celebration of a full and generous life, that we announce the passing of Laurie Mills, on December 30th, 2025, with his wife Margaret and his 3 children by his side at the Saint John Regional Hospital Palliative Care unit.
Born in West Saint John November 21, 1944, to Harold and Ethel Mills, Laurie was the youngest of 4 rambunctious siblings and grew up in the King Square West neighbourhood.
Laurie attended SJHS before earning his teaching certificate at the New Brunswick Teachers College and completing a Bachelor of Arts at UNB Fredericton. He went on to become a beloved educator in Saint John and St. Martins schools, the latter where he also served as principal. In 1976, Laurie took a sabbatical to England, spending a year in Northampton with his young family as a teaching Fellow at Nene College. This was also a year of discovery and exploration of England, Scotland, and Wales, with Laurie piloting the family in that beloved green Renault 16 across thousands of miles of British back roads.
Upon returning to New Brunswick, Laurie continued teaching at Forest Hills in Saint John. Recognizing the potential of new technologies represented by the advent of the personal computer, he was instrumental in the early 80s setting up classroom and school library automation programming for educational and collections management purposes. His work garnered significant attention and accolades provincially and nationally, with other school districts adopting his approach to using technology in the classroom and school libraries.
Following retirement, Laurie became deeply engaged in the civic and community life of Hampton, and there are few aspects of the town’s beauty and livability now that didn’t benefit in some manner from
Laurie’s tireless efforts and vision of what Hampton might be – from lobbying to preserve the train station and redesigning the Town Square, planting the now majestic oak trees and overflowing rose beds along Main Street, advocating for the new community pool, engaging Hampton in the Communities in Bloom beautification initiatives, organizing Environment Day fairs, tending the Hampton Community Garden, and collaborating with town council to base future development decisions on sound environmental sustainability. For his efforts he received numerous accolades and awards, including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
When he wasn’t quietly working to make the town he loved a better and more beautiful place, Laurie also tended fantastic vegetable and flower gardens with his family at the house that he built. Years earlier, he also built the family cottage on the Washademoak, where he and his family spent many happy summers.
An amateur mycologist, Laurie enjoyed foraging for chanterelles while on walks through Dutch Point Park. He was also well known for his tenor voice with the Sussex Choral Society, and had an almost compulsive participation for over 40 years at badminton nights in Hampton and Sussex. He was an avid birder, and along with Margaret, was active in the local ornithological groups and bird counts.
Laurie will be deeply missed by his beloved wife of 54 years, Margaret (Metz), his 3 children: Greg (Eileen), Andrew (Sarah), and Sara (Stuart), his brothers Donald (Verna) and Robert (Audrey), grandchildren: Lilianna, Matthew, Alina, and Eric, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Peggy.
Our heartfelt thanks to the staff of the Neurology and Palliative Care Units at the Saint John Regional Hospital for providing such gracious and compassionate care in Laurie’s final days.
There will be no funeral – because as you know, Laurie never wished to be at the centre of attention – however, you are most welcome to join his family at Hampton Seniors’ Resource Centre, 31 DeMille Ct, on Saturday, January 10th between 2 and 4 pm for a time of remembrance and celebration of his life. If you would like to make a charitable donation in Laurie’s memory, contributions to Diabetes Canada, New Brunswick Heart and Stroke Foundation, Hampton Food Basket, or the Nature Conservancy of Canada would be a fitting tribute to him.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (506-634-7424).
