Catherine Cooper Millard, 85, of Lincoln, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Catherine was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 4, 1939. Her father, the Reverend Dr. Charles Muhlenberg Cooper, was president of the Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania and her mother, Alta Peterson Cooper, was the daughter of Swedish immigrants. Catherine was a direct descendant of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, who was integral to the founding of the first Lutheran church in the United States. Catherine attended Germantown Friends School, a private Quaker school that instilled in her a lifelong love of learning. An intellectually advanced student, she attended Radcliffe College and married Donald Allan Millard, Jr. upon graduation in 1961.
A gifted pianist and musician, Catherine was devoted to her family, instilling a love of music in her children and sharing her talent with her many musical friends. In 1993, she joined the Jeannette Giguere Piano Workshop which met faithfully every month to play piano, attend concerts, and share life’s joy and sorrow. Her pianistic interpretation of the music of Federico Mompou was greatly admired, and she loved the works of J.S. Bach, which soothed her during her final illness.
Her eldest child, Donnie, was autistic and non-verbal at a time when the syndrome was little understood and services were limited. Catherine was his fiercest advocate, ensuring that he received the educational support, vocational training, job placement and services he needed for a fulfilling adult life. She continued to take him to weekly music lessons and include him in all family occasions and vacations to the beach until he passed away in 2023.
For several years, Catherine worked as a real estate agent in Concord, where she made many friends and enjoyed touring the beautiful homes in the area. She continued to feed her intellect through classes in business communication and negotiation at Radcliffe Seminars. When most of her friends were retiring, Catherine earned a paralegal degree from Babson College. Her first-hand experience with special needs legal issues and academic success made her an excellent fit for a position at Rosenberg, Freedman and Lee LLP, where she worked until retirement.
Catherine traveled extensively, delighting in the museums, architecture, scenery, cuisine, and music of many European cities, including Ulm, Vienna, Munich, Venice, Bologna, Florence, London, and Rome. In 1973, she and Donald ventured to Dakar, Senegal, for a total solar eclipse, yielding spectacular pictures for the family at home. During one visit to Milan, she and her family serendipitously encountered Itzhak Perlman and calmly walked half a block behind him on their way to his concert. In later years, Catherine and Donald visited Panama and Guatemala. Of the many places they traveled, Paris was a favorite, and they hoped she would be able to visit one last time.
Catherine is survived by her husband of 63 years, Donald A. Millard, Jr.; her daughters, Ann Lindsay Clinton of Hull and Carol Cooper Millard of Lexington; her brother, Jeremy Cooper of Concord, New Hampshire; and her grandchildren, Nathan Lee Kaufman of Lexington, Alyse Jessica Clinton of Quincy, Charles Frederick Clinton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Miriam Davis Kaufman of Lexington.
Family and friends are all invited to gather for visiting hours from 4-7 p.m., on Monday, October 7 at Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford Street. There will be no funeral services. Burial will be private at Lincoln Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please make a charitable contribution in Catherine’s name. Autism Services Association Inc (www.autismservicesassociation.org) or Historic Trappe Historical Society (historictrappe.org) would be especially meaningful choices.
Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Catherine’s online guestbook, visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.
