Reverend William Everett "Bill" Mills, Jr., 78, a resident of Chattanooga, died on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at a Chattanooga hospital after a brief illness.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William E. Mills, Sr. (Mamie Berry), and sister, Virginia Elizabeth Baker.
Survivors include three sisters, Barbara Louise Liljestrand of Traverse City, Mi.; Martha Susan Deal of Shreveport, La.; and Patricia Berry Cooper of Malden, Mo.; a son, William Jonathan Mills; two daughters, Clare-Elizabeth Mills and Emily Anne (Steve) Dykstra; and three grandchildren, Maddux and Olivia Mills, and Tyler Dykstra, all of Chattanooga. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Mr. Mills graduated from Belhaven College in Jackson, Ms., and received his M.A. degree at Vanderbilt University. After a career in teaching at Winthrop College, Rock Hill, S.C., and Berry College, Rome, Ga., he entered the Presbyterian Church USA ministry and received a B.D. degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga. He served as pastor of Chickamauga and Morton Memorial Presbyterian Churches, Chickamauga, Ga., and Crestview Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati. He also served churches in Etowah and Ooltewah, and Enid, Ms., and more recently as pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga.
A gifted artist, Mr. Mills continued to study art throughout his lifetime, and his works have been displayed in galleries in the Chattanooga area and have been added to private collections.
Visitation will be Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home on East Brainerd Road.
A memorial service will be held at Christ United Methodist Church, 8645 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, on Monday, Dec. 17, at 11 a.m. with the Reverend Mark Flynn officiating.