Millie Renfrow: 1936–2025

The following biographical sketch was provided in March of 2025 by Barbara Renfrow-Baker, Millie’s daughter.

Millie Renfrow was born in Ellensburg, Washington in 1936, the oldest of six children of Ted and Aileen Johnson. The fields and winds of the Kittitas Valley influenced Millie’s upbringing and found their way into much of her poetry. After marrying and having her daughter Barb, she graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in education and music. She taught middle and elementary school for 30 years, a few in Ellensburg and most in Renton, Washington, receiving her master’s and PhD in education along the way. Millie was a beloved teacher. She began writing haiku in high school and participated in three long-running groups of writers. She took many classes from local and nationally known poets, exploring many forms of poetry, and completed the University of Washington certificate program in writing. She had a couple of poems published over the years, self-published several chapbooks, and was a winner at the Skagit Valley Poetry Festival in 2016.

Millie also explored art and attended the Creative Arts Community summer workshop in Oregon for more than 40 years, among other art classes. She explored drawing and painting in many media, sculpture and stone carving, ukulele, and collage. She developed deep friendships at the camp and shared almost 20 years there with her daughter. She wrote and drew her way through the pandemic. Millie was also an avid reader and theatergoer.

Millie lived in Seattle near her daughter and son-in-law from 2011 to 2022, and passed away peacefully in Lynnwood, Washington on January 15, 2025, of complications from dementia. Millie’s ashes will be spread in some of her favorite places including Ellensburg, Green Lake, forests, and the ocean.