SOUTH PORTLAND — Dorothea A. Millington, 79, died Oct. 12. Millington was born in Portland, April 13, 1933, the daughter of Patrick and Gertrude Flaherty Feeney. She attended Cathedral School and St. Joseph’s Academy, and graduated from Jesu High School in Miami.  

Millington was a spiritual person. She taught religion classes and sang with the Saint Rose of Lima choir in Northborough, Mass., and later was a communicant of Holy Cross Church in South Portland. She also wrote about local issues for a community newspaper under the pseudonym of “Casper,” and campaigned for Democratic Party candidates including Ted Kennedy.

Her family was the foundation of her life, and she took good care of friends, neighbors and everyone with whom she came in contact.  

At 16, she met Richard J. Millington. Four years later, on June 13, 1953, they were married at St. Patrick’s Church. They enjoyed 53 years together, beginning their family in Massachusetts and returning to Maine in 1972.

“Mims,” as the grandkids called her, loved having family visit her and treating them to special meals, “green handshakes” and loving hugs and kisses. Christmas was always a joyous occasion, with her grandchildren enjoying their brown bags of gifts. 

Millington loved the outdoors, gardening, long walks on the beach, reading and writing. She was a homemaker for many years. Once her children were raised, she worked as the executive secretary for the South Portland City Manager and retired from that position.

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Millington was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Richard, in 2006; and a sister, Jeanne Volent.  

She is survived by daughter Deborah Millington-Watts and her husband, Robert, of Scarborough; daughter Donna Millington Noel, of Gray; daughter Dorothea Mary Orlando and her, husband, Henry, of South Portland; daughter Marytracey Jensen and her husband, Alan, of New Gloucester; son Patrick Richard Millington, of Windham; son P. Christopher Millington and his wife, Jeanne, of Portland; 11 grandchildren, Ashley and Benjamin Watts, Tucker Cianchette, Jennifer Arnold, Tricia Metivier, Douglas Millington, Jordan Millington, Matthew and Angela Orlando, and Michael and Felicia Lyons; six great-grandchildren, Rocco and Leo Cianchette, Jack Arnold, Lola Metivier, Colby Ross and Cameron Rideout; a brother, Richard P. Feeney, of Tucson, Ariz.; and a sister, Anne Murphy, of Scarborough.

The family would like to thank Dr. Daniel Loiselle of Intermed for many years of care, along with Dr. Barbara Steinbrecher and the staff at Sedgewood Commons in Falmouth.

A funeral was held Oct. 16 at Holy Cross Church in South Portland. Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery, South Portland.


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