Richard Allen Mills (1944-2020)

MILLS

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 4/18/2020 at 14:51:42

Richard Allen Mills (1944 - 2020)

Richard Allen Mills passed away in peace on the evening of April 10 in Brighton from complications of the coronavirus. Rick was born in Kansas City, Missouri, Dec. 5, 1944, to Hugo and Geneva (Sappington) Mills. He had one brother, Robert, born in 1947.
The family lived in the Kansas City area until moving in 1960 to Albuquerque, where Rick graduated from Monzano High School in 1962. Throughout his childhood, Rick was fond of playing baseball, making model cars, trains, planes and building electronics. He often dreamed of playing baseball in the major leagues and traveling the world.
He threw a great knuckleball.
Upon completing high school, Rick entered the Air Force, where he served for four years. He spent most of that time in Spain where he learned to play the guitar.
After completing his military service, he returned to the United States and eventually enrolled at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, where he studied electrical engineering. He later transferred to Weber State in Ogden, Utah, graduating in 1973.
He worked a number of jobs, including at Texas Instruments (five years) and Sandia National Laboratories (more than 25 years).
Over the years, Rick lived in Salt Lake City, Dallas, Las Vegas, Nevada, Albuquerque, and Brighton. He travelled internationally to London, various parts of France and Spain, and Saudi Arabia. He also travelled to many locations throughout the United States, including Key West, Florida, the Oregon coast, San Diego, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C and Alaska. He visited Hawaii several times.
Later in life, he frequently took the family to go boating at Elephant Butte Lake in southern New Mexico and Lake Powell in Utah. His favorite activities were boating, skiing, playing bluegrass on the guitar, camping, barbecue and throwing the ball around.
His parents and his brother preceded him in death. Survivors include his three boys, Greg (Kathy), of Brighton, and Robert (Erica), of Westminster (sons of Patricia Kay Brown); and David (Spencer) of Montrose (son of Mary Morstain); and five grandchildren.
He was an exemplary father, always interested in his kids' and grandkids' lives, pushing them to do better and to have a positive impact on the world.
Published in Brighton Standard Blade on Apr. 15, 2020