MSgt Jesse Mills Jr.

MSgt JESSE MILLS JR., passed away on Jan. 4, 2018. He was born Jesse Junior Mills on March 12, 1930 on a sharecropper's farm at Wrightsville, Ark., to the late Jesse Hammond and Sylvia Penrose Mills. He married Mary Nell Hampton on Aug. 28, 1949 and she preceded him in death along with two daughters Deborah Louise Craddock and Sylvia Cathleen Price Dicus; siblings Mae Skyles, Margarette Rankin, Dorothy Fitzpatrick, Charles, Joe , John, Lucille and Louise. Survivors are one daughter Rebecca Lynn Smith (Mark) and grandchildren Keshia Anne Clayton, Jesse Joeseph Craddock, Matthew Jason Price, Sara Cathleen Cope (Dane), Ashley Paige Smith and Jared Duane Smith; great-grandchildren Alexa Miller, Layton Willhite, Sklya and Leela Cope; one great-great-grandchild Amberlynn Draper-Miller; siblings James (Dorothy), Sylveen Ballard and Raymond (Karen), sisters-in-law, Lee (Joe) and Kathy (John). After several years growing up on a sharecropper's farm, his family moved to North Little Rock, Ark., where he attended school to the 8th grade and then went to work to help support his family. He worked at Colonial Bakery for many years before getting married. After receiving the draft notice for the Army he decided on enlisting in the Navy and spent four years, serving during the Korean Conflict. When the first child was conceived, the decision to join the Air Force to be home with his family gave him 16 more years of service, serving during Vietnam. His 20 year military career ended in retirement and back home to Arkansas working for the Civil Service at the Commissary at LRAFB 15 years then retiring to enjoy being home with family and hunting. His famous quotes to his family was "I've lived a hard life, but I've lived a good life,"and "I was born in the wrong century." (as he loved westerns) Service will be Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 1 p.m., at Griffin Leggett Rest Hills in North Little Rock with burial at Hedden Chapel Cemetery, Grapevine, Ark. There will be no visitation. An online guestbook is available at www.griffinleggettresthills.com.