Dr. Philip E. Mills Jr., 78, recently retired to Castle Rock, Colorado, passed away there on March 11, 2015. He was born in 1936 in Topeka, Kansas, the son of Philip E. Mills Sr. and Marjorie Mae (Gross) Mills.
After graduating from Topeka High School, Phil attended Harvard University on an ROTC scholarship and served in the Air Force in Madison, Wisconsin and Topeka. During this period he met and married his wife, Jean (1939-2011). Phil completed Kansas University Medical School in 1964, graduating first in his class. Subsequently he completed an internship in San Francisco, a residency in Cleveland, and began practice as a neurologist in 1969 in Santa Barbara. Strong ties to the city of his childhood brought him home to Topeka in 1971. He continued his work as a neurologist in private practice, and later for the Menninger Foundation neurological group. He retired as a physician in 1985, but then began a decades-long farming "career" north of Silver Lake.
Phil was an excellent local tennis player, loved duck hunting in the area, and remained a loyal fan of Jayhawk athletics (with some K-State leanings in his later years). Phil's life revolved around his wife, family, local friends, and colleagues, as well as his years dedicated to many patients.
Phil is survived by his three children, Allison Thornbrugh of Castle Rock, David Mills of Huntington, WV, and Alan Mills of Racine, WI; his seven grandchildren; his brother, Dick Mills of Edgemont, AR; and his sister, Patty Petersen of Portland, OR.
Finally, the family would like to thank profusely the excellent nursing and support staffs in Colorado at Bonaventure Senior Living, Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, Peak View Behavioral Clinic, Penrose/St. Francis Hospital, and Suncrest Care.
A memorial ceremony will be held at 11:00am. Saturday, March 21st, at Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel, where the family will receive guests one hour prior to the service. Private family inurnment will take place at the Walnut Hill Cemetery.
To share a special memory of Phil, please visit the guestbook below.