- Date Of Birth: April 25, 1942
- Date Of Death: March 10, 2023
- State: North Carolina
Richard Clark Mills passed away on March 10, 2023, at the age of 80 at his home in Charlotte, NC, with his loving wife close by, after courageously battling multiple illnesses in recent years. His strength, perseverance and determination were an inspiration to us all.
He was born April 25, 1942, in Taylorsville, NC, to Edward Henkel Mills and Lucille Deal Mills. The oldest of three siblings, as a boy he showed immense curiosity for how things worked. First it was model airplanes, then cars. He was an engineer at heart. When it came time to pick a college, he chose UNC Chapel Hill, but after a semester there, he realized engineers needed to be at NC State. He transferred to NCSU, earning undergraduate and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.
His first job took him right back to square one, as a test engineer with Pratt and Whitney Jet Engines in West Palm Beach, FL. From there he worked as an Electrical Engineer for Duke Power and HDR, both in Charlotte. Restless to run his own show, he eventually started his own electrical engineering consulting business, designing electrical systems for water treatment plants all over the Southeast for over 30 years.
In retirement, Richard and his wife Phyllis loved to travel, taking cruises to Hawaii, Alaska and the Caribbean, with a trip to London for good measure. Whenever possible, they loved taking their grandchildren with them.
Richard was a man of strong faith. He joined Newell Baptist Church in the mid-1970s and later served as a deacon for several years. He leaves behind a family that will miss him dearly, including his wife of 58 years Phyllis Fox Mills; son, Richard Edward and wife, Hayes; son, Andrew Alexander and wife, Leslie; grandchildren, Hannah, Eli and Chloe; sister, Martha Hoover and husband, David; sister, Ann Lawlor; sister-in-law, Louise Hathcock; and many nieces and nephews.
