Apr. 11, 1923 - Sep. 24, 2017
Date of Service: Oct. 7, 2017
Effie Mills Lee
BURLEY – On Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, our beloved mother, grandmother and sister went peacefully to our Heavenly Father and her eternal companion, Archer L Mills. She died peacefully at the home she lived in with her daughter and son-in-law, Trudy and Kelly Davis, in Gilbert, Ariz. She lived most of her 94 years of life in Burley, Idaho.
Effie Lyn Holt was born in Oakley, Idaho, April 11, 1923, to Ivan Willey and Ruth Parry Holt. She was the third of eight children; namely, Wilson, Roberta, Edna, Nancy, Ruth, Ivan, and Jane. She grew up and attended school in Oakley. She went to college and graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. While at BYU, she enjoyed playing on the women's basketball team. Effie married Archer L Mills, her sweetheart of 64 years, on Oct. 7, 1942, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He preceded her in death on Nov. 1, 2006.
Effie was married just 17 days before Archer joined the United States Navy. During Archer’s service she worked as a secretary. After returning from the service, they moved to Burley. Besides being a dedicated mother and homemaker, she worked on the farm and later worked in the Cassia Probate and Magistrate Courts until her retirement.
They were blessed with five children: four sons, Douglas Archer, Gordon Holt, Wayne Scott, and Lynn Allen; and one daughter, Trudy. She believed and taught her children and grandchildren to know that families are forever. Her sweet disposition and appreciation for life always brought joy and happiness. She loved and was deeply loved by her children, grandchildren, and friends.
She married Issac Lee in 2009. They enjoyed five years of love and companionship until his death in December 2013.
Effie was a lifetime member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully as president of the ward Relief Society and counselor in the stake Relief Society. Arch and Effie’s posterity produced 22 missionaries. Together, they served three full-time missions: California Oakland International in 1987; California Arcadia in 1989; and the Boise Idaho Temple from 1991 until 1994. Additionally, they served many years as temple workers. Effie was also a missionary by the way she lived her life; she loved to serve the Lord and set an example for her family. She was encouraging, responsible, a woman of integrity, and had an everlasting kindness and love for her family. She would do everything in the world to make her family happy. She never missed a chance to share her testimony and tell everyone that she loved Jesus Christ and the living prophet.
She was gifted in the art of sewing, cooking, singing, music, playing boards games, and Rook (which she insisted on playing by her self-created Rook rules). She loved playing golf and won several golf tournaments and once shot a hole-in-one. She also enjoyed pulling pranks.
Effie is survived by her children, Doug (Kaylene) of King Hill (presently serving a mission in California), Gordon (Janet) of Burley, Wayne (Judy) of Sandy, Utah, Lynn (Diane) of Mesa Ariz., and Trudy (Kelly) Davis of Gilbert, Ariz.; her siblings, Edna Mills, Nancy Olsen, Ruth Burton, and Ivan Holt; 30 grandchildren; 93 great-grandchildren; and four great-great- grandchildren (who were all special in her eyes, loving them each in her own way).
In addition to her husbands, she was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Wilson Holt; sisters, Roberta Thatcher and Jane Warren; and one great-great-grandchild, Tegan Rees.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Burley 3rd Ward, 2200 Oakley Ave., where friends and family may call from 9 until 10:30 a.m. Officiating will be Bishop Steven Gerratt. Burial will be in Pleasant View Cemetery under the care of Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley.
