Grace McMillion

Grace McMillion (nee Dotson) of Nezperce, Idaho, passed away on May 13, 2016 at 10:00 am in St. Joseph's Hospital located in Lewiston, Idaho, due to health complications. She was 83 years old.

Grace was born on January 11, 1933 in Ira, Virginia, to Stella Dotson (nee Estep) and Edward Milton Dotson. She was the oldest of five children, including a sister Thelma Jean and brothers Clifford, Jimmy Roy, and Homer Green. Growing up in Virginia coal country was not always an easy life and there was much work to be done after the long walk home from school so the children learned to work hard and to provide help wherever it was needed. Grace also did well in school despite being a distraction to some of her male classmates and graduated from Hurley High School in Hurley, Virginia. She went on to attend Fairmont State College in Fairmont, West Virginia, where she completed a 2-year secretarial program.

Grace later married Ray Clinton McMillion from Nettie, West Virginia, and lived in several states including West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Grace worked as a secretary, dispatcher, and waitress while Ray worked in security, law enforcement, and mechanical repair. The couple eventually settled in the state of Washington where her parents had previously moved and Grace gave birth to her only child, Clark Edward McMillion, in Randle, Washington, in 1968. Grace and Ray divorced in 1981 so she continued to raise her son as a single parent and she never remarried. After her son graduated from high school and enlisted in the Air Force, Grace moved to Harpster, Idaho, in 1986 to remain close to her parents and two brothers who were relocating to Idaho from Washington.

Grace enjoyed her family very much and they were one of the main focuses of her life. She was a supportive mother, dependable sister, and a loving daughter who later provided in-home care for her mother, Stella. She was overjoyed when her only grandchild was finally born in 2011 and she cherished the 5 years she had to play with him and feed him cookies. She loved animals and flowers and she liked to read, complete brain puzzles and watch game shows on television. Grace kept her fingernails long and perfectly filed and always wanted her hair to look nice as well. She attended Clearwater Baptist Church in Clearwater, Idaho, for many years and Hope Baptist Church in Nezperce, Idaho, since moving there in 2014. She believed in the offer of salvation for every person through Jesus Christ and was kind to all of God's children. Her last few days on Earth were spent at St. Joseph's Hospital where she continued to joke with the staff, be gracious when people made mistakes, and show patience with the multitude of procedures she endured.

Grace is survived by son Clark Edward (Andrea) McMillion and grandson Riley Edward McMillion of Nezperce, Idaho; sister Thelma Jean O'Dell of Summersville, West Virginia; brother Jimmy Roy (Barbara) Dotson of Kooskia, Idaho; and sister in-law Virginia Dotson of Kamiah, Idaho.

Grace is preceded in death by her brother Clifford Dotson formerly of Kamiah, Idaho; brother Homer Green Dotson formerly of Ira, Virginia; and her parents Stella and Edward Milton Dotson formerly of Harpster, Idaho.

A short graveside funeral service officiated by Pastor Kevin Carpenter of Hope Baptist Church will be held on Saturday, May 28, 2016 at Harpster Cemetery in Harpster, Idaho, beginning at 1:00 pm. Care of the body Grace left behind and arrangements for the funeral are entrusted to Trenary Funeral Home of Kooskia, Idaho. A potluck celebration of Grace's life and ascension to heaven will be held at 1:00 pm on Sunday, May 29, at 201 2nd Avenue in Nezperce, Idaho. Everyone who has known Grace or her family are invited to attend one or both gatherings.