Anne Ford Mcmillen

Died

Anne (Clark) Ford McMillen, 95, died on July 10, 2019 at the McGaw Center, Westminster Place, Evanston, after a brief illness. She was born on December 20, 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Cyrus Clark Ford and Rachel Hoge Ford and grew up in Cleveland Heights. A math major, she was graduated from Smith College in June, 1946. On August 16, 1946, she wed lawyer Thomas Roberts McMillen, of Decatur, IL (later Senior Judge, N. D. IL), who died in 2002.

A lifelong adventurer, "Nan" traveled the world, always coming home with an ever-expanding and appreciative zest for life. She was an art and music lover, especially drawn to opera. To her friends and family, she was the one that opened minds to new possibilities, leading them on travel adventures and introducing them to new people and places.

Nan was also an avid outdoorswoman who loved horseback riding, fishing, hunting, and competing in tennis and golf. While living at Westminster Place, her daily walks with her poodle, Alfie, gave her a chance to meet and greet old friends and make new ones. She loved reading, playing bridge, and was a good artist. For many years, in place of Christmas cards, she created and sent original Ground Hog's Day cards, a yearly bit of humor.

While living in Winnetka and raising three daughters, Nan was a devoted volunteer for many Chicago-area organizations. For at least thirty years, she raised funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Chicago Chapter and for another decade was a "Red Tape Cutter" at the North Shore Senior Center's, assisting low-income elderly in locating resources and finding help for expenses and everyday chores. Combining her interests in the arts, history and volunteer work, and overcoming a distaste for public speaking, she led Chicago loop walking tours for the Chicago Architectural Foundation.

Nan will be missed by those who loved her, including her three daughters: Margot Ford McMillen (Howard Marshall) of Fulton, Missouri, Patricia Roberts McMillen (Sam Bader) of Chicago and Bridgman, MI, and Anne (Onnie) McMillen Scheyer (Steven Scheyer) of Glencoe; five grandchildren, Holly Roberson-Goldstein of Berkeley, California; Heather Roberson Gaston of Charlottesville, Virginia; Katherine Scheyer El-Sharkawy of Jersey City, New Jersey; Drew Scheyer of Marseille, France; and Cody Scheyer of Chicago as well as five great-grandchildren. Her family extended to include John Marshall (Kate) of Golden Valley, Minnesota and Sandy Marshall of Toronto, Canada. Caregivers from Home Instead and staff of Westminster Place and the McGaw Center became another family to her and will remember her for her good cheer and sense of humor.

The family celebrated Nan's life privately. Donations in her memory may be made to the New Hope Scholarship at The Geneva Foundation: https://presbyterianhomes.org/foundation/.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Published on: 18-07-2019