Millie McCann

Millie J. "Mill" McCann, 95 of Augusta, passed away peacefully July 11, 2021 at Benefis Teton Medical Center in Choteau, after a long battle with dementia.



Cremation has taken place under the direction of Gorder-Jensen Funeral Home and a celebration of Millie's life will be held July 24, 2021 at 1:30pm at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Choteau.



Millie was born May 22, 1926 in Lewistown, MT to Herbert LeRoy and Myrtle Bell (Nichols) Lee. Her family lived in Tyler, MT for 10 years and then moved to Sun River where she finished growing up and graduated from Simms High School with the class of 1944.



On February 18, 1948 Millie married her grade school sweetheart Max McCann in Fort Benton. The couple lived in Great Falls and Millie started work as a secretary at the Great Falls Hospital from 1950 to 1953. Following she moved near Belt, to a cattle and wheat ranch where she gained some experience as a ranch wife. In 1956 the couple moved south of Augusta, to work for Mr. Ellis, eventually the ranch was sold to the Soap Creek Cattle Company and Millie and Max remained at the Ellis place as employees to the new owners, working there off and on for 32 years. Millie was the ranch cook for many of those years. The couple briefly moved to Lincoln in an attempt at owning a grocery store, which unfortunately fell through. They went back to Augusta where they moved to the ranch and Millie took a job at Allen's Manix Store. After 3 years, they were both offered jobs with the First Bank of Minneapolis and the company moved them to a large ranch in South Dakota. Millie was a secretary for the bank and was also in charge of feeding all of the ranch hands. Eventually they were able to purchase a home in Augusta and moved back. During this time Millie's husband was severely injured and she devoted the rest of her life taking care of him until he passed away in 2002.



Millie was multi-faceted, not only was she a wonderful homemaker, mother and friend but she was also a very talented seamstress, operating a shop from home. She loved children and in her 60s and into her 70s she ran an in home daycare at her house in Augusta. Above everything she loved to spend time with her family. She spent hours with her grand-daughters, teaching them to sew, bake, cook and the word of the Lord.



Millie is survived by her children Randy McCann of Augusta, MT and Janelle (Gene) Bilile of Ronan, MT; siblings Gwen Ferguson of Lacey, WA and Julian (Carol) Lee of Great Falls, MT; grandchildren Leah Rea of Portland and her children Katelynn and Brooklynn Corey; Korine Rea of Polson, MT and her children Enzo and Ayha Ryals of Bozeman, MT and Kayla Rea of Portland and her children Deondre and Samara. Millie also loved Gene's children Justin, Breanna and Jordan of Ronan, MT



Millie was preceded in death by her husband Max McCann, brothers Jack, Jim, Kay and Paul and sisters Grace, Dorothy and Coleen.



In Lieu of flowers, donations in Millie's name can be made to the Choteau, Seventh Day Adventist Church; PO Box 900 Choteau, MT; 59422.



Condolences may be left on-line at www.gorderjensenfuneralhome.com