Obituary

•  John Alton Mills, Sr., of Midland, died Jan. 25, 2010 in the Inpatient Hospice Unit of Midland Memorial Hospital.

            He was born on Feb. 23, 1932, in Galesburg, Illinois, to Lewis Craig Mills and Jesse Carlton Mills. He attended Lubbock schools, graduating from Lubbock High School in 1947, where he played football and then attended Texas Tech University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1951. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, and while at Tech, his friends fondly bestowed upon him the nickname of Moose.

           He married Frances Cox on Dec. 27, 1951 and started his career in crude oil purchasing and sales with the Texas Company in Midland in 1952. Later he formed his own crude oil company, which he later sold. He opened an office in Midland for Western Crude Oil, where he was vice president. Later, he formed Lantern Petroleum with Cy Wagner and Jack Brown. The company was sold 21 years later to Cornerstone Propane, where he was a consultant. In 2002, he and his son, Steve, formed a new company, LPC Crude, where he continued to work until his death.

          He was a member First Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and an elder. As an active member of the community, he served as president of the Midland High Bulldog Booster Club, Chairman of the Young Life Committee, vice president of Texas Tech Ex Students Association, Midland Chair of the Chancellor's Council at Texas Tech, trustee and member of the Board of Governors of the Museum of the Southwest, member of the Board of Trustees of Midland Community Theatre, board member of the Midland Council on Alcoholism, president of the Permian Basin Crude Oil Association, president of The Racquet Club and a member of the Board of Directors of The Petroleum Club.

          He is survived by his wife and children, John Mills, Jr. and wife Tammy of Houston and their children, Morgan Mills and Dillon Mills; Melinda Williamson of Midland and children, Claire Williamson and George Williamson; and Steve Mills and wife Dodie of Midland and their children, Talia Mills, Micah Mills and Kalin Harvard. He is also survived by a sister, Marion Lutkins of Casper, Wyo.; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Dr. Lewis Craig Mills.

          In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to First Presbyterian Church, 800 W. Texas, Midland, TX 79701; Hospice Inpatient Unit at Midland Memorial Hospital, 911 W. Texas, Midland, TX 79701; the Vangie Lindsey Art Scholarship at Midland College, 3600 N. Garfield, Midland, TX 79705; or Hillcrest School, 3510 North A Street, Midland, TX 79705.

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