GySgt Jason "Gunny" Lee Mills

Jason Lee Mills, aged 41, of Ludlow, Massachusetts, formerly of Brighton, passed away suddenly of natural causes in Hartford, Connecticut on April 8, 2015. Jason was born on August 17, 1973, in Warren, Michigan to Linda and Kenneth Mills. He graduated from Brighton High School in Brighton, Michigan. While in high school, Jason was an accomplished athlete in baseball, football, and weight-lifting and entertained the possibility of pursuing baseball professionally until a shoulder injury made that dream unobtainable. In 1995, Jason enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and embarked on what would become a diverse, outstanding, and honorable career until his retirement with the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. Amongst the many achievements and awards he was recognized for by his military brethren and country are: The Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Ribbon, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, Good Conduct Ribbon, National Defense Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Recruiting Ribbon, and NATO Ribbon. Jason last served at Westover Air Force Base, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where he made many close ties in the community. He stayed on in the area following his retirement in 2013. "Gunny," as he was known to many, attended college to obtain certification in the field of heating and cooling. Now certified in HVAC, and looking forward to his new career, Jason was employed by Harp Mechanical. He was on a job site when health issues involving his heart caused him to suddenly collapse. Jason passed away quickly and without pain, despite swift efforts to revive him. Jason was a member and Vice President of The Garand Crew Leathernecks Motorcycle Club where he established many strong and meaningful friendships. Jason was a creative soul, blessed with many talents. He was a skilled artist, able to render greatly-detailed figures with pencil and pen. A self-taught, naturally-gifted musician, Jason picked up a battered, broken acoustic guitar, lying untouched for years in a back closet at the age of 22. Without ever having had a single lesson, and on a very questionable instrument, Jason realized he could coax the sounds he wanted out of the guitar through trial and error. This love for creating music, once it had taken hold, never left him. He went on to perform with many bands over the years including Belleau Wood, Tainted Hate and Deadend Alfred. His passion for music didn't stop at performance; he also wrote and recorded numerous original songs. He had recently completed a role as a soldier in a film entitled "Gilgamesh" and seemed to relish the involvement in this new creative avenue. Jason was exceptional in many ways: talented, creative, skilled in his career, dedicated to his country, his family, his friends and his work, but he may best be remembered by those who knew him as simply being the kind of man you wanted to be around. Though no stranger to loss and misfortune, Jason was quick with a smile, a laugh or a word of encouragement and had a natural way of making even someone he hadn't known long feel valued as a friend. We wish you peace, Jason: our son, our father, our brother and our friend. You will be greatly missed. Jason is survived by: his mother Linda (Pat) Raymo of Florida; his grandmother, Maxine Mills of Florida; his son, Steven Mills of Michigan; his son, Jacob Mills of Illinois; his sister Mandy (Sean) Hauserman of Michigan; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Jason was preceded in death by: his daughter, Erica Mills; his brother, Jeremy Mills; his father Kenneth Mills; his grandparents, Gary and Joanne Young; his grandfather George Mills; and many fellow Marines.Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 AM, Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the Terwilliger Funeral Home, in Kaleva, with visitation from 10:00 AM until time of services. Military honors will take place under the auspices of the United States Marine Corps and the Bear Creek VFW Post #6333. The Terwilliger Funeral Home, in Kaleva, is in charge of arrangements.www.terwilligerfuneralhome.com