Dr. John Manierre Mills died peacefully, surrounded by family, on Wednesday March 23, 2022 in Ormond Beach, Florida.  John was born in Chicago in 1933 to parents Katherine (Manierre) and George Eldon Mills.  He was preceded in death by both of his parents and his granddaughter, Storey Anne Mills. 

John was born on October 9, 1933 in Chicago, IL and grew up in Riverside, a suburb of Chicago, with fond memories of summers spent with brothers Mike and Pete at the Manierre family’s farm on Paw Paw Lake, Michigan.  He graduated from Riverside-Brookfield High School in 1951 and University of Illinois in 1955, the same year he married high school classmate Joan Bitner.  His children Cindy and John Jr. were born while John Sr. was in medical school at the University of Illinois where he obtained his MD in 1959. His son David was born in Plattsburg, NY while John served in the Air Force as a flight surgeon. In 1964 he returned to Illinois and did his residency in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat specialty) prior to moving to Green Bay to start his medical practice. He worked the bulk of his 27-year career as a partner in Ear Nose & Throat Associates (near St. Vincent Hospital) treating patients, performing surgeries and building a thriving practice. He truly loved surgery and taught trainees both at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and through a stint with Project Hope in Peru. Throughout it all, he treasured his interactions with his patients. The family warmly remember the homemade meals that would unexpectedly arrive at the Mills house in De Pere, a thank you gift from some patient’s family.   

John lived a life full of activity.  He was a joyfully competitive tennis player spending many hours at Four Seasons and Western Racquet Tennis clubs and participated in leagues and tournaments around NE Wisconsin.  Skiing was also a favorite activity and many winter vacations were spent on trips to the Rocky Mountains with family and friends before he built a home in Big Sky, MT where he and Joan continued to ski until they were 80 years old.  He was an avid fisherman and relished his family trips to remote lakes in Canada or at a lodge in Alaska with Dr. Dan Madigan, his good friend and colleague.  A “perfect morning” for John would be one spent in his Boston Whaler trolling for salmon or trout off of Door County, regardless of whether any fish were caught.  Once retired, he was able to revisit a passion for woodworking not possible during his time as an active surgeon.  He took carving and woodworking classes and loved putzing around his shop building furniture for his house in Big Sky, his children’s houses, toys for his grandchildren or doll houses that were auctioned off by the Green Bay Botanical Garden.  He and wife Joan traveled often, with trips on river boats in Europe and China, or journeying on trains across the western United States. He also was an avid reader and loved taking part in a local book club.  

However, the activity John cherished most was time with family and friends often centered around food and wine. He and Joan were hosts of decades of crowded family Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  John was the emcee of these affairs, teasing newcomers on their fondness (or lack thereof) of the mashed rutabaga—the latter being a major rite of passage at Mills family Thanksgivings.  At these dinners John, with glass of wine in hand, would tell jokes, eliciting (mostly) groans from the appreciative crowd.  In such gatherings John was truly in his element. Whether with a group at a fishing camp in northern Ontario, on a golf course with friends, or dining with family in Florida, his good nature and warm embrace of the moment was contagious. He was a truly fortunate man who worked very hard, lived a life of purpose and was ever grateful for his friends, family, and particularly Joan, his beloved wife of 67 years. He will be dearly missed by all.

John is survived by his wife Joan (Bitner) Mills (Green Bay, WI), his daughter Cindy (Green Bay, WI), son John Jr. and wife Sandee (Bozeman, MT), son David and wife Kyria (Davis, CA) and his grandchildren Katherine (Portland, OR), Hayden (Bozeman, MT), Noa (Davis, CA) and Alea (Green Bay, WI).

John was an avid supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Mills family welcomes donations in his name to that outstanding charity.  

The Mills family will be holding a celebration to commemorate John Mills’s life from 3-5 PM on Sunday, June 12 at 161 Detrie Dr., Green Bay, WI.  A short service with reflections on John’s life will begin at 3:30 PM.  Parking is available on the street or in the parking lot for Resurrection Church on Delahaut St.