At 10 Wilmington Place, we pride ourselves on attracting residents from not just the Dayton region, but from all over the country. 

But not many of those residents have seen as much of the world as Milly Hubler. 

Milly grew up in Coventry, Rhode Island, where she attended school in a classic one-room schoolhouse before she and her family moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts. 

Always interested in other cultures and expanding her horizons, Milly moved to Washington, D.C. for college, where she studied Spanish and English at Trinity College (now Trinity University). After college, Milly put her Spanish skills to work, spending time teaching in Puerto Rico. 

Not satisfied with an undergraduate degree, she went back to Rhode Island to get her master’s degree at prestigious Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 

With her degrees completed, Milly returned to the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., for a government job. There, she met her husband, John, a native Daytonian, and the pair decided to move to Dayton more than 50 years ago. 

Milly and John grew their family quickly, having four children in less than six years, and came to find a permanent home in Dayton, living in the same house in the quiet suburb of Oakwood on Volusia Avenue for 42 years.

Along the way, Milly made an impact with groups she believed in. To this day, she serves as a trustee of the Rotterman Trust at Trinity University which offers a scholarship that helps young women attend the college. She has also sat on the boards of the local Volunteer Service Bureau, Family and Children’s Services and the Dayton Council on World Affairs, where she also worked on staff. 

But Milly wasn’t just focused on her home — she wanted to see the world. 

Starting in the 1970s, she began traveling as much as possible. Whether with her husband, kids or friends, she took trips just about anywhere she could, visiting most of Europe, Central and South America and beyond. She loved joining tour groups, packing as much sightseeing as possible into her trips and using her multilingual background to her advantage. 

“I think it’s taught me versatility,” she said. “You’ve got to be versatile, and you’ve got to accept people. It taught me a lot — open-mindedness, to be grateful for what we have in the United States. When you travel, you’re like a sponge, constantly learning something.” 

When she completed her last trip — a visit to Ukraine — she reached a whopping 103 countries visited. And if she ever needs to reminisce or share a story, she can point out a piece of art or memento from the places she has traveled to. 

Although she considers France, Greece and “most of Europe” to be her favorite places to visit, she lights up at the memory of Slovenia’s Postojna Caves, the most beautiful place she’s seen. 

Her advice to younger people who might want to replicate her world travels? Make priorities, and make a plan. 

“Decide what you want to see most first, and then branch off,” she said. “Hardly anyone would want to see Luxembourg or Liechtenstein first. If you want to see Paris, go to Paris and then you can visit Luxembourg. But you have to plan it, it doesn’t just happen.” 

Painting Milly purchased from her travels in Uzbekistan from an 11 year old artist

With her international travel becoming less frequent, Milly had downsized into a condo in the Dayton area. But after a lot of social, vivacious years, she wasn’t feeling particularly stimulated by her new living arrangements and started to consider if something else might be better. 

She had visited 10 Wilmington Place to see friends, and was intrigued by the buzz around the community. 

“I had been to a couple of the luncheons that they have here for seniors, and I liked the idea that I would see people in the halls here,” she said. “At so many senior living places, there isn’t a soul around. They stay in their rooms. But I loved all the activities here.” 

So she scheduled a tour to see our community more thoroughly. And when she walked into the first apartment she saw, she fell in love. 

Three big bay windows gave her plenty of natural light. The space was larger than she expected, and she was thrilled to be able to bring more of her antique furniture than she was anticipating. 

“Some other places have very small apartments,” she said. “You might be able to take one chair and that was about it. I needed space, and this was pretty spacious. The apartment was the final thing that tipped me into 10 Wilmington Place.” 

Now, it’s not hard to find Milly. 

Her spacious apartment is decorated with the amazing keepsakes she’s gathered from countries all over the world. And if you don’t find her there, you can find her attending Mass at a local Catholic church, venturing out for dinner, socializing with fellow residents or participating in one of 10 Wilmington Place’s many activities.