William Stanley MILLS

86, passed to his rest on October 4, 2013. He was born on December 2, 1926 in Richmond, CA, one of eleven children of Winfield and Alice Mills. He was a long-time resident of Cloverdale, living and working in the community for 85 years. A veteran of World War II, he spent the majority of his career working for AF Steven's and Healdsburg Lumber Companies. He and Virginia owned and operated a glass repair business and managed OK Auto Float Tire Repair and Station. Carpentry was a hobby for Bill, who was a jack-of-all-trades. He looked forward to social activities with his friends and was an avid SF Giants' fan. His retirement was spent in Cloverdale surrounded by his children and grandchildren, caring for his yard and garden, meeting with friends for coffee at McDonalds or sitting downtown soaking up the bustle of activity in the community where he spent his entire life. He is preceded in death by his son, Daniel Mills, formerly of Fresno, CA. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Virginia, of Cloverdale and five children: Margie Crofoot (Jim) of Mesa, AZ, Andy Mills (Patty) of Cloverdale, Sam Mills (Marcie) of Cloverdale, Sue Lish of Windsor, and Jenni Wiley (Dan) of Oroville. He has six grandchildren: Megan and Shannon Lish of Windsor, Chris Mills of Ukiah, Lauren and Wyatt Mills of Cloverdale and Gavin (Jessica) Mills of Modesto. He also has one great-grandchild, Kenley Mills of Modesto. Bill will be remembered as a generous, hard working man who loved a good joke, found joy in his family, shared strong opinions, and battled bravely through a lengthy illness with cancer. A memorial celebration will be held at a later date.