Vanessa Mills Boozer, 90, of Newberry, died Tuesday, April 5, 2022 at J.F. Hawkins Nursing Home. Born on June 22, 1931, she was a daughter of the late Vincent and Helen Davenport Mills. Like many post-depression, rural southerners in her generation, she dropped out of high school in 9th grade to get a job in one of the Newberry textile mills to financially help her parents support their large family. Later, during World War II, while working as a waitress in one of the Newberry restaurants, she met her future husband, John Calvin Boozer, Sr. After marriage, she worked at the family-owned grocery store, Boozer's Grocery on the corner of Caldwell and Milligan Streets in the Mollohon Community. During this period, she gave birth to daughter Kay and, two years later, son John ("Johnny") . After that business closed, she went to work as an ironer in Shawnee Shirt Factory, in the building now occupied by the Blue Moon Sports Bar on Lindsey Street in downtown Newberry. During this period, she gave birth to her third child, Stanley Lee, who died two weeks after delivery. She later went to work as a weaver at West End Mill and, still later, accepted a weaving position with Kendall Mills -- first at Mollohon and then at Oakland Mills. At that time, weaving positions were ordinarily held by men. She was widowed in 1975, at the age of 44. Later in 1982 when the textile industry began to decline in Newberry, she and her dear now deceased sister Janette achieved their GED's. She subsequently enrolled in a certified nursing training program at the Newberry Career Center, while she worked full time on second shift at Kendall Mills. After earning her certification as a nursing assistant, she accepted a position at Newberry Hospital where she was honored with the Dr. Frist Humanitarian Award [1984] awarded to the hospital's employee of the year. Later she was named as a "WKDK Citizen of the Week." She relocated to Columbia during the late 1980s to live near Kay and John. After relocating to Columbia, she accepted a position as nursing assistant with the emergency department triage team at the former Richland Memorial Hospital. She later enrolled in Midlands Technical College to achieve her phlebotomy certification. She retired from Richland Memorial in the early 1990s and ultimately relocated to Newberry in 2004. After retirement, she volunteered at the Dorn Veteran's Administration Medical Center and at Providence Hospital in Columbia. She described her extended family as the most important part of her life and always hailed herself as a "daddy's girl" and "tomboy". She loved to work in the yard and did not hesitate to get dirty. She loved to shop -- especially at the former J.B. White's Department store, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar. In later life, she enjoyed watching cooking and shopping shows on television and reading catalogs. She instilled in her children that education comes first and that every employee must give 110% -- or more! She is survived by her daughter, Kay Day (Randy Haywood) of Jacksonville, FL; son, John C. Boozer, Jr. (Harold Montgomery) of Winnsboro; grandchildren, Jennifer Kay Thompson (David Candido) and Mary Helen Rebecca Day (Joshua Russell Knight); great-grandchildren, Kayla Marie Thompson and Dylan James Thompson; and sister, Judy Mills Epting (Ray) of Lexington. In addition to her husband, she is predeceased by a son, Stanley Lee Boozer; siblings, Helen Janette Vaughn (Herman), Margaret Wicker (Hurrell), Betty Wicker (Aaron), L.V. Mills, David Mills, Vernon Mills, and Vincent Mills. The family expresses sincere gratitude to those who helped care for Mrs. Boozer, including but not limited to The Newberry County Council on Aging and volunteers with Meals on Wheels, Dr. Michael Bernardo, Mrs. Lavonne Sanders, Mrs. Donna Perry, Dr. Thomas Bradberry, and Dr. Mark Davis. The family will receive friends on Monday, April 11, 2022 from 12:30 PM until 1:30 PM at Whitaker Funeral Home, Newberry. Funeral services will follow at 2:00 PM and will be conducted by the Rev. Jason Schafer. Burial will be held at St. Luke's Lutheran Church Cemetery, 4056 St. Luke's Church Road, Prosperity, SC. For those wishing to join services online, live streaming options are available either by clicking the link here: "Click Here for Livestream Services for Vanessa Boozer" or by clicking the Watch Event Link on the Events section. For those who wish to, the family suggests memorials be made to the Newberry County Council on Aging, 1300 Hunt Street, Newberry, SC 29108. Memories and messages may be shared with the family her on her tribute wall. Whitaker Funeral Home is honored to assist the family.