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IN LOVING MEMORY OF
William A.
Mills
June 1, 1950 – January 22, 2013
Obituary
William A. "Bill" Mills 81, passed away with family by his side at Tampa General Hospital after a brief illness on Tuesday, January 15. Mr. Mills split his retirement years since 1989 by wintering in Winterhaven, FLA, and spending summers at Wareham in his home state of Massachusetts.
Mr. Mills grew up in Braintree, MA, graduating from High School in 1949.
After high school, Bill joined the Navy and attended boot camp the autumn and winter, 1949 at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. For 6 months thereafter, he attended sonar school at Key West, Florida until that graduation in June, 1950 when his expected leave was suddenly cancelled with the breakout of the Korean peninsula conflict that month. Bill was emergency-transported to San Diego where he was assigned to the destroyer flagship USS Wiltsie, which was immediately deployed to Korea - setting a then-new travel speed record. Upon arrival to the South Korean peninsula, the ship was immediately involved in ordnance operations.
Bill spent nearly 3 years aboard the warship from June 1950 thru March of 1953, was involved in several significant historical venues in the war, inclusive of major operations such as the Pusan evacuation, Inchon invasion, and the Chosin relief action. Amongst other medals, the ship received 7 of 9 possible battle stars for engagements earning the Navy moniker as 'Communist Public Enemy No. 1' due to its many close-shore and riverine harassing and interruptive involvements.
After the service, Mr. Mills worked as a marine machinist at the Charlestown Naval Shipyard, Boston from 1960 thru 1974, and for the US General Services Administration as a contract inspector at the JFK building and Customs House until retirement. He obtained his boilerman's license in 1975, and his Associate of Science in Business Administration in 1978. From birth, through present, previous Massachusetts residence towns included Braintree, Weymouth, Brockton, Whitman, and Wareham.
Mr. Mills is preceded in death by his parents Margaret (Allan) Mills, and James Steele Mills, (immigrants from Glasgow, Scotland), Bill's elder sister Elizabeth Bissey and brother James; as well as his beloved younger sisters, the twins Margaret Kenney and Isabel Parry, and youngest sister Louise "Ginger," Williams all formerly of Braintree, Mass.
Mr. Mills is survived by his loving wife of 59 years Vivian K. (Nelson) Mills, daughters Karin Baker with husband Bruce A. Baker, and Sue-Anne Johnson and husband Richard Johnson, all of Middleboro, Mass.; and son Steven A. Mills and wife Imelda Ortiz-Mills of Fairbanks, Alaska. Also grandchildren who already miss their grandfather terribly, Mrs. April Hansen and her husband Craig "Buddy" Hansen of Kingston, Mass., Julianne Sullivan of Fall River, Mass., Derek Baker and his wife Beth, and Amy Baker all of Middleboro, Mass. and Lindsay Marquardt of Alliance, NE: and great-grandchildren Cole and Cali Hansen, and Alexandra Baker. In addition, "Uncle Billy" is survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
A private family service will be held at Leighton-MacKinnon Funeral Home, in Hanson, MA on 1/26/13 at 11 a.m. Visiting hours are omitted. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 20 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701; the Alzheimer's Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02471; St. Joseph's Indian School in Chamberlain, SD, 57326 or to a charity of one's choice.
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