{"id":2257,"date":"2026-07-23T11:57:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T11:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/?page_id=2257"},"modified":"2026-07-23T14:19:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:19:43","slug":"corwin-mills","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/corwin-mills\/","title":{"rendered":"Corwin Mills"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Remembering Corwin Mills<\/strong><\/p>

By\u00a0Barb Dean-Simmons, PNI Atlantic<\/strong><\/p>

Published Nov 23, 2015<\/p>

Corwin Mills came back to his hometown after finishing law school in 1972 to start his own practice in a place where he could enjoy his love of the outdoors and cross-country skiing, and help his community grow through his involvement as a volunteer on various boards, committees and organizations.\u00a0Photo by SaltWire Network\u00a0\/SaltWire Network<\/em><\/p>

Corwin Mills passed away on Friday, November 20, 2015, aged 70, after a short battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), leaving behind a legacy of community work and professional achievement that one would be hard pressed to match.<\/p>

Born and raised in Shoal Harbour, Corwin headed off to Memorial University in the 1960s, enrolling in a joint BA program in economics and commerce.<\/p>

His original ambition was to be a trade commissioner with Canada\u2019s Foreign Service.<\/p>

After working for a year in Ottawa, however, he decided trade commerce wasn\u2019t for him. He enrolled in the University of British Columbia to study law and was admitted to the Newfoundland Bar in 1972.<\/p>

Helping others<\/strong><\/p>

Immediately, he started his own law firm, moving back to his hometown of Clarenville to set up office.<\/p>

Right away, he became involved with his community, joining the local chamber of commerce in 1972, and working with others to form the Clarenville Rotary Club in 1975.<\/p>

Greg Pittman learned a lot from Corwin Mills in the 25 years since he joined Mills\u2019 law firm in Clarenville. Asked about the biggest lesson that came from his mentor, Pittman paused for awhile, before answering, \u201cI think it was, enjoy every day and live life to the fullest.\u201d<\/p>

Pittman recalls that many of Corwin\u2019s legal peers often wondered why he chose to set up his practice in what was then the relatively small town of Clarenville, instead of a larger city like St. John\u2019s.<\/p>

It was about lifestyle, says Pittman.<\/p>

\u201cCorwin used to say that from Clarenville you were just five minutes\u2019 away from the woods.\u201d<\/p>

And it was back country, and winter, that was Corwin Mills\u2019 true passion.<\/p>

He and his wife, June, shared a love of cross-country skiing; and they shared that love with hundreds of others who learned the sport from them.<\/p><\/div>

Lisa Browne, who moved to Clarenville in the early 2000s, initially met Corwin through the Rotary Club.<\/p>

She recalls that when her husband bought her a pair of cross-country skis on their second winter in Clarenville, she was \u2018forced to try\u2019 skiing.<\/p>

Corwin was her teacher on that first day out.<\/p>

She recalls his patience teaching a bunch of clumsy beginners how to, first of all, maintain balance and the basics of skiing, before leading them on a 3.5 km run around Harry\u2019s Loop.<\/p>

\u201cI was exhausted after that first go round the loop. But it was his enthusiasm that made we want to stick with it,\u201d she says.<\/p>

She chuckles, as well, to remember how she had to understand Corwin\u2019s language when it came to skiing. It could be snowing, freezing rain, rain, or slushy on the ground, but it was always a good day for skiing in Corwin\u2019s world.<\/p>

\u201cWith Corwin, it was never a bad time to go skiing, but you had to interpret his language if you wanted to be prepared.\u201d<\/p>

Bill Bailey knew Corwin Mills all his life; the two grew up together in Shoal Harbour.<\/p>

Bailey recalls Corwin was \u201cquiet, perhaps a little shy when he was younger, but always as smart as a whip.\u201d<\/p>

It was Corwin that encouraged him to try skiing. Bailey admits he was a little leery at first.<\/p>

\u201cI played hockey, so I thought skiing was a \u2018sissy sport\u2019,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>

He soon realized it would required physical fitness and stamina to follow Corwin on the trails.<\/p>

One of their epic journeys on skis, and most memorable, was a trip across the Great Northern Peninsula one winter in the late 1980s.<\/p>

\u201cIt was a long trek but as we came into Great Harbour Deep there was a full moon and it was just beautiful,\u201d he says, of the memory that is now a treasure.<\/p>

Bailey says it would be hard to figure out the exact number of people Corwin and his wife June taught to ski.<\/p>

\u201cFor sure it\u2019s hundreds, perhaps even in the thousands,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Dr. Geoffrey Bailey moved to Clarenville in 1987 and soon became an acquaintance of Corwin through Chamber and Rotary, but initially through skiing.<\/p>

Dr. Bailey was among the group of people who worked to develop the White Hills Ski Resort, and Corwin was one of the visionaries.<\/p>

\u201cHe worked with us to put the development plan together, he did some of the legal work for us and he was a strong advocate for the project,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>

In recent years, he noted, Corwin was instrumental in ensuring the future of the resort, when there was talk of the privately-owned enterprise being sold, possibly piecemeal.<\/p>

Through Corwin\u2019s enterprise, the Alpine Alliance Development Corporation was born as a non-profit entity, with the support of municipal, provincial and federal agencies.<\/p>

The ski hill continues to operate as an important downhill and cross-country skiing destination.<\/p>

\u201cI would have to say that if it wasn\u2019t for his actions, White Hills wouldn\u2019t exist today.<\/p>

Knowing Corwin and his passion for all things for the town, and for winter, he was the bug in the ear of anyone who could help,\u201d says Dr. Bailey.<\/p>

Clarenville Mayor Frazer Russell agrees.<\/p>

\u201cOnly Corwin could have accomplished that unbelievable feat (saving the ski hill). When it looked like, in 2000, that the hill would close and never open again \u2026 Corwin believed that would be a serious mistake to allow the demise of the resort and I know \u2026 how hard he worked in that last half of 2000 to make sure that didn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>

Thanks to Corwin\u2019s efforts, said Russell, the resort became a town property, with Corwin as chair of the Alpine Ski Development Corporation for the past 13 years.<\/p>

\u2018His leadership is the reason why it has been a success,\u201d says Russell, adding, \u201cHe wasn\u2019t a downhill skier, but he did this because he thought White Hills would be a great economic enabler for our town.\u201d<\/p>

Russell also worked closely with Corwin on the 1994 Winter Games Committee (Russel was chair and Corwin his co-chair), as well as on committees that saw the building of the Winter Games Complex and the Clarenville Events Centre.<\/p>

\u201cThe many things he did for this town are immeasurable,\u201d says Russell.<\/p>

And while hockey wasn\u2019t Corwin\u2019s forte \u2014 Russell quips \u201che couldn\u2019t tell a hockey puck from a football\u201d \u2014 he was the first one to call Russell and congratulate him on the Caribous\u2019 2014 Allan Cup win.<\/p>

\u201cHe saw this as so wonderful for our town.\u201d<\/p>

A good example<\/strong><\/p>

When the Town of Clarenville hosted the Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games in 2014, the committee made the obvious choice in choosing patrons for the games.<\/p>

They chose the husband-wife team of Corwin and June; recognizing their years of dedication to cross-country skiing, and their work to help others learn the sport.<\/p>

In fact, the past year was a time of many accolades for Corwin.<\/p>

That same year he was also recognized as a business leader, with the Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame award. He was also named to the provincial Cross Country Hall of Fame, and was the recipient of the True Rotarian Award for his years of service to that organization.<\/p>

Dr. Bailey says of Corwin\u2019s passing, \u201cThis town has lost a citizen who loved the town dearly and would do anything he could to see it progress.<\/p>

\u201cHe really, truly loved this community, and wanted to see it prosper. The idea of creating an outdoor world for the people who live here, the kids who live here, was important to him.\u201d<\/p>

His law partner, Greg Pittman, sums it up this way.<\/p>

\u201cHe lived by example, both in his personal life and his work life. He lived a healthy and active life, he worked hard and he was ethical. For him monetary things weren\u2019t important; people and family were the most important.<\/p>

\u201cIf you patterned yourself by him, you would not go wrong,\u201d says Pittman.<\/p>

Corwin Mills was laid to rest Monday, in Clarenville, following a church service that saw hundreds show up to pay their respects, further evidence of the high esteem in which he was held.<\/p>

After the funeral service his family and close friends went to the place he held dear \u2014 to the White Hills resort \u2014 to share stories and reflect on his life.<\/p>

In his memory the family \u2014 wife June, daughter Sonja (Alicia) and son Steven (Marin) welcome donations to the ALS Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Dr. G. B. Cross Memorial Hospital or a charity of one\u2019s choice.<\/p>

Obituary – Corwin Mills, QC – The Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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June and Corwin Mills<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Corwin Mills Corwin Mills Remembering Corwin Mills By\u00a0Barb Dean-Simmons, PNI Atlantic Published Nov 23, 2015 Corwin Mills came back to his hometown after finishing law school in 1972 to start his own practice in a place where he could enjoy his love of the outdoors and cross-country skiing, and help his community grow through his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"unboxed","site-sidebar-style":"unboxed","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"enabled","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2257","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2257"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2268,"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2257\/revisions\/2268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarenville.ca\/75th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}