Earl R. Mills, Jr.

MILLS, Jr., Earl R., age 85 of Maryville, passed away Monday, March 17, 2008, at his home. He was preceded in death by father, Earl Mills, Sr.(1964), mother, Magdalene Mills(1987), and sister, Miriam Mills(1992). Earl was born May 27, 1922, in Chicago, IL. Earl was educated in the Chicago public schools, graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1944 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and from Purdue University in 1947 with a M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering. Elected Tau Beta Pi, national honorary engineering fraternity. During World War II, Earl was employed by Tennessee Eastman at Oak Ridge as a mass spectrograph instructor. In 1947, he was employed by ALCOA as metallurgist and worked at the Tennessee Operations until 1982 when he retired. . His various job duties included chief inspector and quality control supervisor. He served as president of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Society for Quality Control and was a Certified Quality Engineer. Earl was a member of Alcoa United Methodist Church. Over the years he served as Sunday School teacher, chairman of the Administrative Board, chairman of the Council on Ministries and usher. In the community he was a member of the Alcoa Kiwanis Club for 33 years, serving as president in 1964. In 1970-71, he was elected Lt. Governor of Division 5 of the Kentucky-Tennessee District. He worked with the Blount County Red Cross Chapter developing its first disaster manual. He was the first chairman of the City of Alcoa Human resources Development Advisory Board. Together with Jim Cobb, he spearheaded the building of two homes in the Habitat for Humanity program. In recent years, he and his wife, Betty, have served in the Meals on Wheels program in the county. He also helped with VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, in the local mall. He was a devoted fan of the Chicago Cubs, thankful that WGN-TV carried so many of their games. Survivors include: wife, Betty; son and daughter-in-law, David and Brenda Mills of Houston, TX; daughter and son-in-law, Deidre and Mitchell Dickson of Knoxville; grandsons, Bruce Mills and wife Kristine, Zachary Dickson and Kyle Dickson; granddaughters Lauren Mills and Jessica Mills; great grandchildren, Riley and Ryan Mills; step-daughter, Sharon Adams and husband Virgil; step-sons, Philip Gillespie and wife Missy, Todd Gillespie and wife Tiffany and granddaughter, Lacey; four step grandsons; and three step great grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday in McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Joe Green officiating. Family and friends will meet at 11:00 a.m. Thursday at Grandview Cemetery for the interment service. The family will receive friends from 5-6:00 p.m. Wednesday at McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home, Maryville. 982-6812