Carol Ann Mills

Carol Ann Sanders Mills, 76, of Malakoff and Crossroads, passed away peacefully on February 9th, 2025.
Carol was born to loving parents Adele Hopper and Sam Lee Sanders Jr. on March 15th, 1948, in Grand Prairie, Texas. She enjoyed a rich childhood, surrounded by family and friends. She attended Grand Prairie High School, where she played clarinet in the band. There, she also met and later married her first husband, Eddie Abney. They had two children.
Carol moved to Crossroads in the early 1970s to work for the Three R ranch. She went on to co-own Bruton Paints in Athens and worked for a few years as an orthodontic technician.
She married her husband, Robert Mills, in 1990. They opened Mills Feed, now a Malakoff institution, in 1991, and founded Rock Crest Ranch soon after, in 1995. Their unwavering dedication to their work is evidenced by the fact that Rock Crest Ranch has produced more National Grand Champion Brafords than any other competing operation.
Carol was an award-winning horsewoman and enjoyed participating in shows put on by the Stock Horse of Texas Association. Her goal was always to place within the top ten when she competed-- a goal she regularly met. Riding was her lifelong passion, and an important way in which she connected with her faith in God.
Carol is preceded in death by her parents, Sam and Adele Sanders.
She is survived by her husband, Robert Mills; her son and daughter-in-law, Dusty and Beverly Abney; her son, Trey Abney; her granddaughter, Amelia Adele Abney; her niece, Pam Walker; her mother-in-law, Mary Katherine Mills; her horse, Maggie; and her dogs, Gus, Jessie, and Newt; along with an innumerable list of beloved family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at the Living for the Brand Cowboy Church with Bro. Perry Smith and Rod Milsap officiating.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the Hannigan Smith Funeral Home family.