On January 25th 2023, James “Jimmy” Alan Mills took his final victory lap and crossed the finish line to everlasting life surrounded by his loving family. Although he was a man of few words most of the time we’re finding it nearly impossible to describe his life in a way that does it justice. He was born on August 19, 1949, in Hawaii and spent his early childhood moving where the US Navy stationed his father. He resided in California, Maine, and landed in St. Mary’s County, MD as a young teenager, where he made his permanent home.
He believed that hard work would take you far in life and was equally as passionate about being a thrill seeker. He would test the limits of anything that had wheels and enthusiast of any machine that went fast. He never met a roller coaster that he didn’t like. He’d jump from the highest high dive and explore deep caverns and then tell the “stories” of his adventures. He was a sneaky practical joker with a very twisted sense of humor; he thought he was so funny and was quite entertained by his own antics.
He always said he hated school but had a brilliant mind and there wasn’t an engine or piece of machinery that he couldn’t build, fix, or improve. There are so many cars, boats, and even his house that contain his unique fingerprints; we’re told he’s a legend in the car world. On any given weekend in his youth, you could find him at racetrack but in recent years settled for watching the race on TV.
He was a lover of all creatures, great or small, and would often take refuge in nature. Whether fishing the vast oceans, Patuxent River, Chesapeake Bay, lake, steams, or ponds, sitting in a tree stand waiting on a big buck, running his hounds after a rascally wabbit, or pushing his skiff through the muddy waters looking for crabs he enjoyed it all. He never met a dog that he didn’t like and relished in the challenge of training both wild and domestic critters to perform all sorts of tricks for food. There was nothing he enjoyed more than feeding and watching the birds from the house he built.
One of his most profound life accomplishments was his nearly 14 years of sobriety. A success he often acknowledged could not have been achieved without his faith, family, and friends far and wide in his support network. He also triumphed in his recent victory over diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
He leaves behind his one and only true love and wife of almost 56 years Lois Jane (Allan), his sisters Jacky (Andrew) Mechling and Donna Mills, children Donald Francis Mills (Stephanie), Stephanie Lynn Jordan (Mike), and James Alan Mills Jr. (Alyson), and his 4-legged fur friend, Buttons.
He was a fiercely proud Pop-Pop to 6 grandchildren: Tyler (Veronica) Jordan, Kyle Jordan, Allison Mills, Donald “Chip” Mills, Tyler Morrell, James “JJ” Mills III, and 4 great-grandchildren: Evelyn Jordan, Eli Jordan, Ellis Jordan, and Lincoln Mills.
He is preceded in death by his father, Donald Francis Mills, mother, Darlene “Jinx” Theresa Mills, and sister Phyllis Jean Matthews.
Whether you called him Jim, Jimmy, Dad, Pop-Pop, Brother, Uncle, Mills, Millsy, Mechanic, Friend, Fisherman, Animal Whisperer, Mentor, or A**hole (a term he would often use to describe himself), the family welcomes you to his life celebration on Friday, February 3, 2023 at Brinsfield Funeral Home, 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD. Visitation will be held from 12:00-2:00 pm followed by a prayer service from 2:23 pm. The prayer service will also be live streamed. Inurnment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Jimmy’s honor to one of the following charities:
online at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or by mail at 100 Painters Mill Road, Suite 800, Owings Mills, MD 21117,
online at The National Audubon Society or by mail at 225 Varick Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10014,
online at MedStar Hospice of St. Mary’s or by mail at P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650.
Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.
Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.
