Millicent "Millie" Byers' Obituary
Millicent M. Byers passed on to her next life on December 19, 2015, at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, where she resided since April, 2015, due to Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia.
Millie was born on September 4, 1950 to Jack Byers Sr. and Millicent (Boyd, Byers) Turner in Erie, PA. She attended Muskegon Public Schools and Muskegon Community College where she earned three Associates Degrees. Millie proudly served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam Era. Employment included American Coil Spring, Northwestern Auto Supply, Westran and Pinkerton Security. Millie was one of the first women in the Plumbers and Steamfitters, Local 154 in Muskegon.
Friends from the Nims neighborhood would describe her as a fine athlete who enjoyed all sports. Her computer skills were impressive and she repaired friends' computers and found new homes for discarded P.C.'s. She loved giving these computers to people who never had a computer. Millie was a "Gamer" who spent many hours playing P.C. games where she was the "hero" who saved the world or the "thug" bent on destroying the universe. She was a reluctant traveler who would come home and happily regale everyone with stories of her adventures across the U.S. and Canada. Millie loved photography which led her to become the family historian who captured memories of family events and joyfully shared the pictures with all.
While volunteering at Muskegon Area AIDS Resource Services in 1994, she met the love of her life, JoAnn Sciba, and they were committed partners for the next 21 years. Survivors include her mother, Millicent Turner (Lou, deceased); brothers Jack Byers, Jr. (Mary) and Daniel Byers (Annette); sisters-in-law Terri Roesch (Charles), Lydia Byers, and Susan Byers. She was preceded in death by her father, Jack Byers Sr. (Agnes, deceased), and siblings, Patricia Jourden, William (Susan) Byers and Timothy (Lydia) Byers.
Millie will be sadly missed by many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly; by her many friends, especially her "best bud" Deb Tufts; the members of her Women's Group; fellow NA members and "her people" at Barnes and Noble.
Per Millie's wishes, a Celebration of Life will be held at a later time. Memorials in Millie's name can be sent to the Muskegon Veterans Food Pantry at the Veterans Service Center, 165 E. Apple Ave., , Muskegon, MI 49442; or, Spectrum Health Hospice and Palliative Care, 4500 Breton Rd, SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508.
Both the staff on Unit One-Red, at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and the staff from Spectrum Hospice provided outstanding care for Millie and made her final days as comfortable and peaceful as possible.
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