Millie (McMurphy) Jones

Millie’s mother, Adele Sansom, came to the Yukon from Normal School in Victoria in 1918, teaching first ln Whitehorse, then Carmacks and finally moving to the Carcross School. Her father, Jack McMurphy, arrived in Carcross to be with his parents in 1917. He was a mail runner for Louise Schultz in Atlin, B.C. using a dog team in the winter. He also worked for the White Pass on the rail line crew.

Jack and Adele met in Carcross, married in 1930, and raised five children: Margaret, Millie, Leonard, Dolly and Tina. Jack continued to work for White Pass and together they ran the Caribou Hotel for a few years. Adele worked in the train station as an agent for White Pass for seventeen years at a time when few women worked outside the home.

Millie was born in Whitehorse on August 11, 1932. She attended school in Carcross in a one-room schoolhouse. The school went to grade 9. She then travelled to Langley and lived with her grandparents to go to high school. However, her grandfather passed away and she was so homesick that she refused to go back the next year.  

Millie remembers that Carcross at that time was a very remote place and a very close community. Groceries were ordered in bulk and were shipped to Skagway and then to Carcross via White Pass Rail. Clothes came from Sears catalogue. A trip to Whitehorse on the train was a big deal. Special friendships from childhood have lasted a lifetime. 

The U.S. Army arrived in 1942. Some of the troops stopped in Carcross on their way through to Whitehorse. The flood of soldiers fascinated Millie and her friends. They had never seen black men before. She remembers how very musical they were. One song she particularly remembers was “Pistol Packin’ Mama.”

Millie stated that when she was a kid, winter was a lot about survival. They snared rabbits and had to pack water and chop wood. They had so much freedom and fun, being outside playing, skiing, skating and sliding. On weekends, they often got together and played board games. There was often a band and dances in the little one-room schoolhouse. Going down to pick up the mail at the post office was a social event.

Millie met her soul mate and future husband in 1947 when Don Jones came to Carcross from Vancouver to work on the riverboats. They eloped to Skagway and worked together in the section house at Pennington. They began their family in 1951 with the birth of Ken; then Donna, Brenda and Heather followed.

Don was a heavy-duty mechanic and worked at various places over the years including White Pass, Elvin’s Equipment and Yukon Territorial Government. 

Millie was focussed on raising her children but she also worked with children, volunteering at the school and leading the Brownies and teaching Sunday School. Her dream had always been to be a teacher, so she began enrolling in courses in order to get her Kindergarten Teacher Certificate even though she had not completed her high school. John Ferbey, the superintendent, offered her a kindergarten teacher position even though she did not have a degree.

John Ferbey again encouraged Millie to continue getting her education as a mature student. She continued to take courses and finally took a year off and, with the full support of her husband and family, went to Edmonton to complete her degree in 1978. While she did her year at the university, the superintendent held a position for her. She received her Bachelor of Education degree in 1978. Her lifelong dream to be a qualified teacher had finally come true. She taught in Whitehorse Elementary, Takhini Elementary, Hidden Valley and Carcross schools.

Millie spent twenty-five years in the classroom, retiring in 1993. However, she continued to substitute for a number of years. She is very proud to say that there are five generations of Yukon teachers in her family: her mother’s aunt, Millie, her daughter, and one grandson.

Millie and Don were looking forward to retirement and were building a home in Carcross. Don was involved in the restoration of the Klondike riverboat and was looking forward to the time when he could pursue his interests in history. He was also passionate about flying radio-controlled model airplanes. He was instrumental in acquiring land for the Yukon Radio Control Model Airplane field near Pine Ridge. The field was named after him after he died cutting a Christmas tree in 1985.

Over the years, Millie would sit at Christmas by a Hospice Lights of Life Christmas tree in remembrance of her husband, Don; this was a bittersweet time for Millie. The tree would have tags that people could write on in memory of someone. Many of the people who came to the tree would share their memories of a loved one with her. Millie stated that it was a place “where support is given to those who are terminally ill or grieving the loss of a loved one.”

Millie added, “Grief is all the emotions we feel; mourning is finding an expression for those feelings, and that is really how we heal from loss.”

Millie remained active over the years. She went to the pool on a regular basis in the early morning to do laps. This was also a great way to keep her diabetes stabilized and keep herself fit for the Canada 55+ Games where she competed and won several medals in swimming. She was the first Station Captain for Leg 6 in the Klondike Road Relay. She organized the exchange point for twenty years and loved seeing the event grow to the major international event it is today.

In 2002, Millie was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth I1’s Golden Jubilee Medal for exceptional volunteer achievement acknowledging her time spent volunteering for her community in many capacities. She always volunteered for the activities her children were involved in and sat on many boards, such as the Yukon Council on Aging, Yukon Order of Pioneer Women’s Auxiliary, Elder Active Recreation Association, Christ Church Cathedral, Arctic Winter Games, Canada Games, TOPS, Athletics Yukon, and Yukon Retired Teachers’ Association.

Millie was always ready to travel. She found several good friends to go cruising with and explore the world. She often took along some knitting, a pastime she enjoyed.   Reading was a great passion and she usually had several books on the go at the same time.

This remarkable lady now resides in the Whistle Bend Care Facility where she visits with friends and enjoys various activities. She never misses the musical presentations and was honoured with a special concert by the Canucks recently. Music has always been a big part of Millie’s life.

Millie still has a cabin at Carcross, which has an incredible view of the lake and mountains. This is her happy place where she loves to host friends and family. Her family now includes five grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and six Grand Puppies.   She prides herself for getting into Bennett Lake for 87 years in a row! Her grandsons have vowed to keep this tradition alive. A favourite family memory is of Millie falling over in slow motion on a chair on the beach while she watched her kids playing in the lake. No one dared laugh until it was confirmed she was okay. 

Millie and her daughters were adopted into the Ishkahittaan Clan of the Carcross Tagish First Nation. This is an amazing honour and Millie feels it deeply.   

( Millie passed away on February 27, 2021.)