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Birth:          4 Feb 1964 Bremerton, Kitsap Co., Wash.
Death:          1 Apr 2012 Seattle, Wash.
Cause of Death: motorcycle accident

Notes
!PUBL
Mills-Caven Fam Tree on ancestry
April 3rd, 2012 8 PM PST by Margaret Bikman - The Bellingham Herald 

 It's always difficult to write about a local musician's death, but many in Bellingham will 
remember funky blues band Swamp Mama Johnson, who played numerous times in 
Whatcom County, including gigs at the Wild Buffalo, the Ferndale Street Festival, the 
Sudden Valley Dance Barn and at Western Washington University. The band broke up 
with a huge farewell gig in June 2001 at the Wild Buffalo. 

 Lead singer and original member Lisa Mills died in a motorcycle accident on Sunday 
night, April 1, on Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct. She was alone, and failed to 
negotiate a curve, according to Seattle Police. Her former bandmate Leah Hinchcliff, 
who now lives in Portland, OR, says memorials will be held in Bellingham and in 
Seattle. Information will be updated when the memorial is finalized. 
Bellingham Herald, The: Blogs (WA) - Wednesday, April 4, 2012 
http://westseattleblog.com/2012/04/viaduct-crash-kills-west-seattle-musician-
therapist-lisa-mills/
Family and friends around West Seattle and beyond are mourning 48-year-old Lisa 
Mills, the motorcycle rider killed in the crash that closed southbound Highway 99 for 
hours last Sunday night. We are reporting her name now that the county Medical 
Examiner has finally formally released it. Ms. Mills, who lived in Sunrise Heights with 
her wife, was well-known as lead singer of Swamp Mama Johnson, a Northwest-based 
band that was popular in the ’90s (see a 1997 clip here).

She worked as a hypnotherapist and life coach, with her own business, Heliotrope 
Hypnosis Services. A friend shared the photo at left, showing Ms. Mills with her dog 
Ruby, who until Ruby’s recent death assisted her in volunteer therapy work, according 
to her website. Another friend of Ms. Mills tells us she also was studying to become a 
mixologist, adding, “Lisa lived life to the fullest and loved riding her motorcycle with 
her friends.” The preliminary report from Seattle Police says investigators think she 
“failed to negotiate a curve” at the Viaduct’s south end. 

We have no information yet on a celebration of life or memorial fund, but have asked 
friends who contacted us to please let us know if and when those details become 
available, so that we can share it with the WSB community. (This mention on a news 
site in Bellingham, where Swamp Mama Johnson often played, says memorials will 
likely be held there and in Seattle.)

Parents
MILLS Ronald Emery ()
CAVEN Carol Lynn ()

Siblings
MILLS ----- ()
MILLS ----- ()
MILLS Lisa Ann (4 Feb 1964 - 1 Apr 2012)

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