Donald Mills
Age - 89
November 21, 2023
Donald F. Mills joined his wife, Sarah Ann (Lopez) of 56 years in God's Kingdom on November 14, 2023 after a brief illness. He was born in 1933 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, on the farm, he was the youngest of a family of 10 children. In addition to his wife Sarah, Don was preceded in death by his parents, Curtis and Annetta Newman Mills, his seven brothers, Ellis B, Glenn, Jim, Hal, Robert, Joe and Charlie, his two sisters Ida Price and Muriel Coleman. Don spent the first 11 years of his life growing up on the farm in Jefferson County, Tennessee. In 1944 his parents moved to Knoxville where Don loved the hustle and bustle of the city. Early on he had his own paper route and told tales of selling the "EXTRA" edition announcing the news of the end of WWII. He also sold souvenirs for the University of Tennessee football games as a youngster during the General Neyland coaching years. Don was a bat boy with the Knoxville Smokies in the late 1940's where during the summer months he traveled with the team all around the Southeastern US. For decades Don held the record in the State of Tennessee for soloing as an airplane pilot with the least amount of training hours. Three. He obtained his pilot's license at the age of 15 and by age 16 owned the first of his own aircraft, a Piper J3 Cub. He joined the United States Air Force where he had hoped to become a pilot but due to a head injury he endured as a teen he was denied, but he had the privilege to serve his country as an very proficient airplane mechanic. He was stationed in Japan while serving and was a pitcher for the US Air Force baseball team that traveled around Japan. He met the love of his life and the mother of his four children, Sarah Ann, while stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. They married on May 12, 1954 and had four children together, Charles K. "Chuck", Catherine "Cat" Jean Vandergriff (Steve), Thomas Andrew "Andy" and Patricia "Tricia" Ann Baehr (John). Don was an entrepreneur from early on and a self-made man with multiple businesses associated with the commercial coatings industry. He traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad where he met and made an impact on hundreds of people. He loved and enjoyed his grandchildren, Laura Michelle Valentine, Donald Birke Baehr, Donald Brandt Baehr, Dororthy Bailey Baehr, Nicholas Silva Mills and Andrew Mills. Nine great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. If you asked him, Don would have told you that what he loved most was his family, and his work. He also loved airplanes and flying, fishing (most notably, deep sea fishing), baseball, the Atlanta Braves, all University of Tennessee sports especially the football Vols, traveling, entertaining friends, clients, and family through dining out at restaurants. Don was a good friend to many, he leaves behind his former business partner, Paul Sonderman and his dear friend and companion over the last decade, Lynda White. He was someone who lived his life on his own terms, he was highly intelligent, a critical thinker and he had strong beliefs around politics and religion. He was a firm believer in the Christian Bible and had his own discernment around his understanding of it. Don was a hardworking father and a good provider, a loving and kind husband to Sarah. He loved his businesses and what he had created. He was a kind person who enjoyed meeting new people and hearing their stories. As an elder he was generous in the telling of his own stories, of which many were blessed to hear. He had a high level of integrity and honor. He took the time to teach his grandsons to look someone in the eye and give them a firm handshake. He was once a fine airplane mechanic and could repair just about anything. He was the quintessential father figure to many, not just his own children but to others that found their way into his spheres. Don was tenacious as a salesperson and never took no for an answer, as some have remarked, "He could sell ice to an eskimo. " Don really knew how to live, he lived every day of his life with gumption, gusto, and grace. His extensive travels and his ability to connect with people contributed to the man he was: charming, sweet and kind. He could be tough, but he was also fair. And through all the joy and adversity he experienced in life he remained positive in his approach to it.Show more
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