Grace E. Mills Toliver

Beloved Grace E. (Mills) Toliver was born on February 27,1921 in Princess Anne, Maryland. Her parents were the late Martha E. (Wilson) Mills and Daniel L. Mills. She was the fourth child of nine. She passed away peacefully on August 2, 2023, in Bel Air, Maryland at the age of 102 years, five months, and six days.

Aunt Grace attended public schools and graduated from Greenwood High School. She joined Metropolitan Methodist Church at an early age. She was in the Youth Choir, attended Sunday School, and participated in Effort League and different plays given at the church.

After graduation from high school, Grace moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where her older sister lived. Upon arriving in Philadelphia, Aunt Grace joined Haven Church which later became Haven Peniel Church. She joined under the late Reverend Jefferson. She also was active with the Girl Scouts in the area.

Aunt Grace held several different jobs from the age of 16 until becoming employed at the Philadelphia Naval Yard where she worked through the war and after. In 1949, she married Hayward Toliver. A few years later she began working for the City of Philadelphia as an elevator operator until 1977 when she retired.

After retiring, Aunt Grace became a regular participant and supporter of Center in the Park, a non-profit community center in Northwest Philadelphia primarily focused on the needs of older people. She took part in many of the activities and made many friends. She spoke fondly of the young people she engaged with in the Intergenerational Group that focused on helping local youth. It brought her great joy. In addition to these activities, Aunt Grace traveled extensively to the Caribbean, Asia, as well as other locations enjoying her retirement.

When her sister became ill, Aunt Grace devoted a good amount of time and energy toward her care. She spent several years traveling between her home and that of her sister’s. While she was caring for her sister, her brother-in-law also became ill and required Aunt Grace’s attention. She continued her care, managing two households for over three years until the couple passed just a few months apart.

Although Aunt Grace did not have children of her own, she counted herself blessed to have many attentive and caring nieces and nephews. Later in her life, as she required more care, she formed a deep relationship with her great-nephew Marc Mason and his wife Jeannine. Her final years were spent “loving, caring and sharing” dinners, birthdays, and holidays together and they became like the children she never had. They are grateful for the trust she placed in them to meet her numerous changing care needs through the final days of her life. Aunt Grace is survived by wonderful nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, great-great-nieces and nephews, a few great-great-great-nieces and nephews as well as numerous other relatives, friends and acquaintances. Her life graciously spanned more than five generations, eleven decades, crossed two centuries, and two millennia! She was beloved and her positive spirit will be missed, but as she would always say “we know who is in charge.”

A funeral service will be held 2:00 PM Saturday August 12, 2023 at Metropolitan United Methodist Church with a viewing one hour prior. Interment will follow at John Wesley ( Bowland Hill ) Cemetery, in Princess Anne, MD.