John D. Mills

John D. Mills, 95, of Evansville, Indiana passed away Thursday, March 12, 2026 at Linda E. White Hospice House.

John was born in Morganfield, Kentucky on May 3, 1930 to the late John V. and Thelma K. (Mattingly) Mills. He attended Memorial High School and when he was only 17 years old, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and went to Parris Island, SC for boot camp. He served on the USS Albany and in June of 1950 received orders to report to Japan for service in Korea. He made landing at Inchon in September with Hotel Company where his machine gun section helped hold the Toktong Pass open for the withdrawing American troops to escape from the Chinese encirclement. During the campaign, John received four bullet wounds and suffered severe frostbite. After 15 months of surgery and rehab, John was discharged and returned to Southern Indiana to start a new life. John's Marine related service didn't end after his discharge. He spent years volunteering with the Toys for Tots program in Evansville and was a dedicated member of the Evansville Marine Corps League, providing military honors for his fallen Marine brothers. On January 31, 1953, John married the love of his life, Dorothy Lee "Dottie" McCord. He affectionately called her "The Queen" throughout their marriage. Together they raised their five children and celebrated as grandchildren and great-grandchildren joined the family. John worked as an Automotive Technician for 42 years and was a member of the VFW #1114 and AmVets. He was a member of St. Theresa Catholic Church until it's closing. Above all else, John will be remembered as a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, friend and Marine. He will be deeply missed.

John is survived by his daughter Vicki Hagan, Cindy Carr (Randy), Sherri Mills (Bryan Hefferan) and Shannon Brown (Daryll); son, Mac Mills (Shirley); grandchildren, Eric Hagan (Jenny) Aaron Hagan, Kirsten Carr, McKensie Carr (Tom Wilkins), Kari Shelton, Jon Mills (Ashley), Angie Bashore, Jordan Thomas, Taylor Thomas and Dalton Thomas (Charlye); great-grandchildren, Hannah Hagan, Austin Hagan, Ian Carr, Liam Wyatt, Brittany Shelton, Jacob Shelton, Javier Salinas, Ashton Salinas and Maxwell Jewell; and by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Lee "Dottie" (McCord) Mills; by his parents; and by his son-in-law, Buck Hagan.

A celebration of John's life will be held at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at Browning Funeral Home, 738 Diamond Ave., Evansville, IN 47711. Entombment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery where the Evansville Marine Corps League will conduct military honors.

Friends may visit from 10:00 am until service time at the funeral home on Tuesday.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Sgt. John Mills USMC Scholarship, Inc., PO Box 6581, Evansville, IN 47719-0581, https://johncmills-usmc-scholarship.org.

The family would like to thank the staff at Melrose Assisted Living and the Linda E. White Hospice House for their compassionate care.