Edwin Louis Mills

Edwin Louis Mills, 87, of Melcher-Dallas, Iowa, passed away on February 6, 2022. A Graveside Service will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made in his honor of Ed to EveryStep Hospice of Knoxville, Iowa.

Edwin Louis Mills was born on May 28, 1934, to Louis and Anna Hall Mills in Prauge, Nebraska. The family moved to Iowa when Ed was young. He attended Onawa grade school, then on to Oak Park Academy in Nevada where he graduated high school with the class of 1952. He met Rowena Snyder in 1953 at Oak Park Academy. The couple married on August 22, 1954, in Knoxville, Iowa. To this union they were blessed with three children: Louis, Rhonda, and Timothy.

Ed was a licensed Boiler Engineer and worked for Oak Park Academy most of his life. He worked at Andrews University in Michigan for a couple of years. The family moved to Union Springs, New York in 1959 and later returned to Oak Park in 1963. Oak Park is where he considered home. He did a number of jobs during the many years. He drove a bus and even drove to New York on a student trip. Anyone that knew Ed or worked with him could always depend on him. He was the most patient, easy-going person whom the students loved and respected. He loved working with kids. He retired in 1999, and the couple moved to Melcher.

His love for kids shined even brighter for his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He loved spending time with his family. He enjoyed and was a very talented woodworker, making many things such as cabinets, entertainment centers, toys, and tractors. Rowena and Ed enjoyed camping, birdwatching, riding the train to California, but most importantly they just had fun no matter what they did.

Ed is survived by his wife, Rowena; children: Louis Mills and Rhonda Tiller; 9 grandchildren; 9 great grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death was his son, Timothy, in June 2019; brother, Lee Mills; and sister, Katheryn Williams.