November 14, 2018, surrounded by his loving family. Funeral services will be 12 noon, Saturday,
November 17, 2018, at First Methodist Church of Louisville with Rev. Mike Childs officiating and Rev. Mike Dowd assisting. Visitation will be the day of the service from 10:00 a.m. to service time at First Methodist Church. Interment will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Bro. Mills, known by many as “Bro. Bo,” was born on February 7, 1931, in Louisville, Mississippi, to Corine Burroughs Mills and Murray Leslie Mills, Sr. He graduated from Ford High School in Louisville. He married the love of his life, Celia Peterson Mills, at the age of 18 and a 69-year love affair ensued. (If you saw one, you saw the other.) Bro. Bo had many talents, and over the years worked with his brother as a manager for the Standard Oil Bulk Plant in Louisville, and owned and operated a land clearing business at one time. At the age of 37, he answered the wondrous call of the Lord to serve in the ministry. Bro. Bo often commented how very supportive his loving wife Celia was of him in his ministry and that she was an integral part of it. Upon receiving his call to the ministry, Bro. Bo decided to pursue a degree in theology and attended Wood Junior College and Mississippi State University, and was awarded a scholarship to the Chandler School of Theology at Emory University. As an older student, he astonished his classmates by maintaining a straight A average and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, among his many other academic accomplishments.
He served as the minister to the Weir/Salem UMC charge; the Sturgis/Big Creek/Pleasant Hill UMC charge; the Shelby/Merigold UMC charge; the Booneville Christ UMC charge; the Inverness/Caile/Isola UMC charge; Mendenhall First UMC; the Centreville/White’s Chapel UMC charge; and the Raleigh/Unity UMC charge. His call and response was to serve the Lord and to minister to all of the people in his churches and the surrounding communities, and in doing so, he introduced many people to the Lord and impacted countless lives. He was known as a leader and served on numerous committees within the Mississippi United Methodist Conference.
His children and grandchildren are still amazed at his ability to “fix” anything that he set his mind to, whether electrical or mechanical. His interests included tree farming, maintaining his property with his John Deere tractor, and tinkering around his shop. Bro. Bo always kept up with the latest developments in computers. He had a vivid interest in Winston County history and loved to share stories about it. He was an avid reader, an astute follower of politics and world news, and continued to be active in the church and his ministry until his final days. Bro. Bo especially loved his dogs, and they were devoted to him. He loved a good joke and always looked forward to his daily conversations with friends and family, and his special joy was a visit or a call from his grandchildren.
Bro. Bo retired from the ministry at the age of 69, but a minister never really retires. He continued to preach, perform funerals and weddings, teach Sunday School, and minister to his friends, family, and church up until the time of his death. He is survived by his loving wife, Celia Peterson Mills, his son Farrell Peterson “Pete” Mills and daughter-in-law Nancy Measells Mills of Flowood, MS, and his daughter Vicki Mills Phillips and son-in-law Josey Vincent Phillips of Brandon, MS, his granddaughter Jessica Lauren Mills of Houston, TX, his granddaughter Meredith Lynn Phillips of Brandon, MS, and his grandson Peterson “Peter” Walker Mills of Flowood, MS.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him, but we know that his love and legacy will live on in our lives by keeping his example and counsel close to our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to: First Methodist Church, P.O. Box 1426, Louisville, MS 39339.
Services are under the direction of Nowell Massey Funeral Home, 724 North Columbus Avenue, Louisville, MS. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family by signing the guest register at www.nowellmasseyfuneralhome.com.
