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- Commercial Appeal, The (Memphis, TN, USA) - May 23, 2011
Deceased Name: MAJOR HAROLD WINFORD MILLS
Covington - MAJOR HAROLD WINFORD MILLS, 91, died May 20, 2011. He was born March 2, 1920 on a farm in the Holly Grove Community of Tipton County. He was the son of the late Erskine Lee Mills and Julia Elbert Burton Mills. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Dorothy McQuiston Mills, and his brothers, J.B. Mills in 1931, Pvt. Adrian Venoy Mills, U.S. Army, in 1944, who was killed in action during World War II and is buried in Normandy, France, and Claude Manuel Mills in 1992. He was a 1938 graduate of Brighton High School. Harold loved nature and enjoyed gardening, camping, hunting, and fishing. Major Mills was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War retiring after 30 years of active military service in 1969. He successfully worked his way up from the enlisted ranks in both the U.S. Navy (1939-1946) and U.S. Air Force (1947-1969). He served on the Destroyer USS Sterett (DD-407) in the Pacific Theater. In March 1944, Major Mills received a direct commission as an Ensign and rose to the rank of Lt. Junior Grade by the end of the war. In 1946, he left active naval service and returned home to operate the Holly Grove Store with his father and brother, Manuel. In 1947, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in Memphis, and was recalled to active duty in 1951 from the Air Force Reserve as a Captain in the Korean War. In October 1958, he was selected for a remote assignment with his family to be the Detachment Commander for the Air Force Special Applications Center (AFTAC) unit in Puerto Montt, Republic of Chile, South America. Major Mills and his family "went native," learning the Spanish language and involving themselves in community activities, including his two sons, becoming volunteer firemen. In May 1960, there occurred one of the strongest ever recorded earthquakes in Southern Chile, 8.6. The Mills family declined evacuation and remained to work in relief operations to assist their city and neighbors. In recognition for his service, Major Mills received the Chilean Air Force Military Star Medal of Merit. After a four year tour in Washington, DC, USA, Major Mills returned to AFTAC in 1965 to command the unit in Panama and in 1966 returned to Chile as a liaison officer for AFTAC to the Chilean Air Force. In 1969, Major Mills retired and moved to Jackson, MS, USA to help manage the gubernatorial campaign of then Lt. Governor Charles Sullivan. He served as his administrative assistant until 1972 when Governor Sullivan was tragically killed in an airplane crash. In 1972, Major and Mrs. Mills returned to Holly Grove where they built their dream home. Major Mills was active in civic affairs and community service since returning to Covington including being a member of the Holly Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Tipton County Election Commission, Tipton County Veterans Association, and Tipton County Tax Equalization Board. Mr. Mills was a 32nd Degree Mason of the Scottish Rite and a Shriner. The Mills Family expresses its special appreciation to Mrs. Carol Hayes, the caretaker, for her dedicated care. The family is also most grateful for the professional and compassionate medical attention over the years by Dr. Jesse Cannon of Brighton. Major Mills is survived by two sons, Col. Harold W. Mills, Jr., USAF (Retired) of Columbia, SC, USA and by Lt. Col Rix Marion Mills, USAF (Retired) of Puerto Montt, Chile; by his 3 grandsons, Major David Hopkins Mills, USMC, of Camp Lejeune, NC, USA, Major Andrew Heath Mills, USMC, of MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI, USA, and James Everett Mills of Broad Run, VA, USA. He is also survived by eight great-grandchildren, James Robert Mills, Jackson Clark Mills, Karley Ann Mills, and Jason Franklin Mills, of Broad Run, VA, USA, Braeden Julian Mills and Emerson Elizabeth Mills of Kailua, HI, USA, and Kai David Mills of Emerald Isle, NC, USA. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at Maley-Yarbrough Chapel in Covington and Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 25, at Holly Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Covington. Burial will be in Indian Creek Cemetery, Brighton, TN, USA.
Maley-Yarbrough Funeral Home
901-476-9778
Commercial Appeal, The (Memphis, TN, USA)
Date: May 23, 2011
Edition: Final
Page: B3
Record Number: 1376BA4800A511D0
Copyright (c) 2011 The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, USA [4]
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1920 - 2011 (91 years)
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