John Webster Mills

John was born April 25th, 1929 to Florence Lees and Milton Alexander Mills in Osceola, Nebraska. The youngest of four brothers, John lived in Osceola through high school where he played both basketball and trombone for the Bulldogs.

After graduation, John, following in his father’s footsteps, attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln where he enrolled in pre-medicine courses. During his time at university he developed a passion for all things Cornhusker and was active in the student body as a member of the Innocents Society. Nebraska football became his primary sports infatuation, lasting throughout his life. It was in a chemistry class (of course) that he met Caroline Cook Rogers, who became his life-long love. John spent his college breaks working as a ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was then that a seed was planted to one day make his home in Colorado. A Phi Beta Kappa, John graduated NU in 1951 and moved to Omaha to attend the Nebraska Medical School pathology program. Caroline followed in 1953, enrolling in the school’s Medical Technology program. They were married September 11th, 1954 in Lincoln, Nebraska, returning to Omaha to finish school. John and Caroline welcomed their first child, Daniel Rogers Mills, in 1956.

John enlisted in the Air Force in 1957, serving at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas for two years of active duty and four years in the reserves. After his enlistment ended John and Caroline moved back to Omaha, bought their first home, and added another child, Roger Lees, to the family in 1961.

In 1963 the Mills family moved to Greeley, Colorado so that John could join the pathology practice at the North Colorado Medical Center, which was then known as Weld County General Hospital. Helen Elizabeth “Beth,” their third child, was born that September. John spent the next 36 years practicing medicine, raising his family, enjoying music and books, taking road trips back to Nebraska, and playing mean games of tennis and golf.

John will be remembered for his gentle nature and his true interest in others. He liked nothing better than to listen to his family and friends tell him how they were, “getting along.” In the company of those he loved, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon raised high, and a broad grin on his face, he would often declare, “It just doesn’t get any better than this!”

John is survived by his wife, Caroline, and their children and spouses Dan and Margaret; Roger and June; and Beth and Ron. He was a beloved grandfather to Emily, Mary Beth, Abbie, Taylor, Darcy, and Katie, and great-grandfather to Ella, Jessie, and Charlie.

There will be a memorial service at the First Congregational Church in Greeley, 2101 16th St, Greeley, CO 80631, on Friday, April 5 at 11:00 am.