Ralph Jeffries "Jeff" Mills Jr.

An intrepid traveler, possessed of a quick wit, inquisitive mind, and warm smile, Jeff passed away on December 26, 2019, after a short illness. He was 88. The son of a banker, Ralph J. Mills, and an industrious homemaker, Gertrude Koch Mills, Jeff was born in 1931 and raised in Yonkers, New York, where he attended local public schools and graduated from Gorton High School in 1949. An active student athlete, he played baseball and basketball while serving as a class officer and a member of the National Honor Society. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Jeff matriculated to Yale University where he graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from the Sheffield School of Engineering. At Yale, amidst a rigorous academic atmosphere, Jeff forged lifelong friendships in the classroom, on the intramural athletic playing fields, and in the Chi Phi fraternity. During Senior year, Jeff joined the U. S. Naval Reserve and upon graduation was called to active duty in the fall of 1953. He was ordered to Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and received his commission as an Ensign in January 1954. Prior to reporting to a U.S. destroyer, the Navy sent him to air control school whereupon graduating he embarked on a 3 1/2 year stint in the destroyer fleet that included service as the Operations Officer on the John R. Pierce and Operations Officer for Destroyer Division 21 afloat. His time in the Navy stayed with him his entire life: both in terms of the experiences he recounted to friends and family and the relationships he forged. He may have left the Navy in 1957 when he completed his service obligation, but in many important ways the Navy never left him. Following the end of his Naval obligation, Jeff married the former Jo Ann Yow of West Point, Virginia. They began their married life in Ithaca, New York, where he studied for a Master's Degree in Business Administration at Cornell University. He completed his degree in 1959 and was admitted to the Phi Kappa Phi honorary society. In July of that year Jeff began what would develop into a 38 year career in investment management by joining the Investment Research Department of the Hanover Bank in New York City. Two months later, in September 1959, Jeff and Jo Ann welcomed their daughter, Leslie Ann Mills (now Santos), into the world. Jeff enjoyed a 29 year career at Manufacturers Hanover, managing a book of business as well as the equity groups in the Trust and Estate departments. By 1988 he was serving as a Director of the Manufacturers Hanover Institutional Corporation in charge of common stock investments for large institutional clients when the bank sold the wholly owned firm to The Paine Webber Group's Mitchell Hutchins Division. He stayed on with the new firm until 1997 when at the age of 66 he retired. Similar to his Naval experience, Jeff's life in New York City left an indelible imprint on him that he carried with him- not so much the tales of making a living on Wall Street, although there were plenty of tales to be told, but more the sense of vitality and possibility that came from making a life in a large metropolitan city. Jeff's first wife, Jo An, became ill in 1984 with lung cancer. She passed away in January 1985. In December 1987 he was married to a high school classmate, Grace Silliman, from Yonkers, New York, and Miramar, FL. Jeff and Grace moved to Baton Rouge in 1997 to be closer to Grace's daughter, Amy Silliman (now Levert). Sadly, within a year's time of their move, Grace contracted lung cancer and passed away. In 2000 Jeff met his loving wife, Jerry Lynn Perrine Mittendorf Mills, who survives him. They were married in November of that year and enjoyed 19 years of marriage. Jeff brought the New York sense of vitality and possibility to Baton Rouge when he arrived in 1997. Much to his surprise and enjoyment, he found that Baton Rouge reciprocated. And thus, began a 22 year love affair with his new hometown. Whether in his capacity as a Board member of the Baton Rouge Symphony, as an avid listener to the long time Baton Rouge residents who taught him local history at the BR Luncheon Group, as a passionate fan of LSU baseball- a passion introduced and nurtured by his longtime BR neighbors, Bob and Kay Hawthorne- or as a loyal member of an inveterate band of Bocage Racquet Club tennis players whose spirits remained strong even as their knees and joints did not, Jeff discovered that Baton Rouge was a wonderful place to call home. From the beginning of their relationship, Jeff and Jerry Lynn were committed to squeezing as much out of their time together as possible. They shared a passion for travel. Ranging from John R. Pierce Ship Reunions at port cities across the U.S. to Yale Class of 53 Travel Group adventures to Europe, Chicago, San Francisco, and a particularly memorable weekend in New Orleans, Jeff and Jerry Lynn embraced opportunities to experience the road together. New York was an important place for them as well. Maintaining a small apartment in the city provided Jeff and Jerry Lynn a home away from home, and, importantly, gave them the opportunity to create memories with their grandchildren. From Broadway plays to visits to Yankee Stadium (a tough ask given Jeff's lifelong allegiance to the Mets, but the grandkids' wishes prevailed) to tours around Manhattan Island, Jeff and Jerry Lynn relished their roles as grandparents/ tour guides. Family was never far from Jeff's mind or heart. He and Jerry Lynn travelled to North Carolina, Florida, Connecticut, and Massachusetts to stay connected to his daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, and their children. Thanksgivings in Massachusetts was a tradition he held particularly dear. In Baton Rouge, their Steele Blvd home- in particular their swimming pool- was a magnet for Jerry Lynn's sons and their families. Jeff's penchant for burning the hot dogs never seemed to dampen the grandkids' enthusiasm. He will be missed by all his friends and family. Jeff is survived by his loving wife, Jerry Lynn Perrine Mittendorf Mills; his daughter Leslie and her husband Clark, and two grandchildren , Peter J. And Johanna E. Santos of Randolph, New Jersey; a stepson, Philip Rodger, his wife Malinda and daughter, Emily of Charlotte, NC; a stepdaughter Amy Levert, and her husband Chuck and son Charles and daughter Grace of Boca Raton, FL; a stepson Major Mittendorf and his wife Chanler and sons Holden, Wiley, and Sawyer of Baton Rouge; and stepson Bradley Mittendorf and his wife Marcy and sons Major, Kramer, and Hill, and daughter Lily of Baton Rouge. Visitation will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1st at St. James Episcopal Church from 10 am until service at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, St. James Episcopal Church, St. Lillian Academy, of the Friends of the USS Kidd Veterans' Museum.