James "Buddy" R Mills

James "Buddy" R Mills, 84, of Columbia City, formerly of Fort Wayne, passed away on Thursday, June 13, 2019. He was born January 15, 1935 in Pinson, Alabama to the late James L and Arvie (Hill) Mills. Buddy first came to the area in 1961 while working for a contractor at Wolf and Dessauer Department Store. He then went into the automotive field, owning and operating M & S Auto Salvage, teaching at IVY Tech, working as a manager at Hires Auto Parts, and working as a manager at Auto Zone until 1999. Buddy was a loving husband and a devoted father and grandfather. He was also an avid bowler. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lillie "Ann" Mills of Columbia City; children, Cynthia (Mike) Huffman of Columbia City, Sylvia (Terry) Springer of Huntertown, Ron (Ann) Mills of Orlando, FL, Patricia (Tom) Tuttle of Fort Wayne, Ken (Carrie) Mills of Spencerville, IN, and Nora (Rich) Hively of Columbia City; 14 grandchildren, Christopher Huffman, Claire Huffman, Craig (Joni) Knox, Aaron (Heather) Springer, Erick (Jodi) Springer, Emily Mills, Tyler Mills, Thomas (Andrea) Tuttle, Jacob Tuttle, Kenneth (Tess) Mills, Cody Mills, Douglas (Denae) Hively, Rachel Hively, and Tamara Kreager; and 24 great grandchildren. He was also preceded in death by his sisters, Nora West, Faye Moseley, and Mattie Winsett. Funeral service will be Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at 10:30 AM at Elzey-Patterson-Rodak, 6810 Old Trail Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46809 with visitation one hour prior. Visitation will also be held Monday, June 17, 2019 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the funeral home. Burial will be at Lindenwood Cemetery. Contributions in "Buddy's" memory may be made to Stanley Wissman Stroke Center at Parkview Regional Medical Center or Parkview Hospice. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.elzey-patterson-rodakfuneralhome.com for the Mills family.