Jessica McMillan passed away peacefully Saturday evening, May 10, at her home in Glenwood Springs with family members at her side.

She was born Jessica Parania Antonik on March 29, 1952, in Hartford, Conn., to Laura (Borys) and Joseph Walter Antonik. She attended public school in Newington, Conn., graduating from Newington High School in 1970 and later attending The University of Connecticut in Hartford.

Jessica moved to Boulder in 1971. She graduated with a bachelor of arts in fine arts from Metropolitan State College of Denver. She enjoyed a career as a graphic artist and art director in the Boulder-Denver Metro area.

An avid skier, Jessica was a member of the National Ski Patrol. She was also an emergency medical technician, outdoor emergency care instructor, and a ski and toboggan instructor. She was a member of the Eldora, Geneva Basin, Arapahoe Basin and the Sunlight ski patrols. She was awarded a National Appointment 7639 in 1995.

One of her greatest joys was becoming a pilot and flight instructor. She had more than 4,000 hours of flying various aircraft. She held a single- and multi-engine instrument commercial license with certified single- and multi-engine instrument commercial flight instructor rating. She loved sharing her love of aviation and teaching others to fly.

Jessica got her bug of flying from Bruce McMillan, whom she married June 16, 1984, at the Erie Tri-County Airport in a converted airliner. They moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1997, and enjoyed the activities of the beautiful area with family and friends. She was the Glenwood Springs Airport manager and ran her own flight school and fixed-base operation.

She was a devoted Ninety-Nine, an international organization of women pilots. She spent many hours working toward helping women become pilots. She received two Amelia Earhart scholarships to receive her flight instructor rating through the Ninety-Nines.

She is survived by her husband of Glenwood Springs; sisters Laura Antonik Wallace and Deborah Antonik Tolve, both of Boulder; nieces Melissa Tolve Morin, Sarah Tolve, Samantha Tolve, Lilly Tolve and Allison Wallace, all of Boulder.

She was proceeded in death by her parents; and aunt Marcella Sylvia Borys.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17, on the deck at the Sunlight Ski Area. A reception will follow for family and friends at the McMillan home in Glenwood Springs.