Arza Leroy Mills
Marriages
Theodora Marie Lutz - 1951
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7 B Obituary - July 25, 2015
Captain Arza Leroy Mills
March 20, 1929 - July 18, 2015
In Loving Memory of our father, Capt. Arza Leroy Mills, US Air Force Retired.
Dad was born in Steamboat Springs, Colorado to Arza and Marie (Mayberry) Mills and was one of nine children. He was raised on the family ranch and spent his spare time skiing competitively during high school until at the age of 17, when he enlisted in the Army Air Corp at the end of WWII. Dad spent his first nine years as an enlisted man (radio/electronics repairman) serving his country around the world. With his experience and high ranking behind him, he applied and was accepted into Officer Candidate School and Pilot Training in the US Air Force. Dad spent the next 11 years of his military career
flying SAC jets throughout the Cold War, logging over 7000
flight hours and receiving numerous awards and
commendations, eventually becoming a test pilot and flight
instructor. Dad travelled the world and had the privilege of
competing on several US Air Force Ski Teams and working on
the Ski Patrol. He retired from active service after more than 20 years of military service.
Until 1995 he worked as a Start up Engineer on various power
plants across the nation, while living first in Palisade and then
moving to Collbran, Colorado. There he spent his time
ranching, hunting, fishing skiing, traveling and exploring the
west, dad was always helping family, friends, neighbors and
fellow ranchers whenever they needed it.
Dad moved to the Air Force Village, San Antonio, Texas in
2005 for health reasons, where he was very active helping his
friends and neighbors who called him ‘Mr. Fix-It’ claiming he
could fix anything.
Dad married Theodora Marie Lutz in 1951 and they were
divorced in 1996, he is survived by his family; son, Robert L.
Mills; daughter, Denise P. (Chapman) Creighton; son, Mark S.
(Margaret) Mills, and son, Colton D. (Cindy) Mills; nine
grandkids; 13 great-grandkids; three sisters, Hildred, Margie
and Judy, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He had many experiences, lots of stories and jokes and lived an extraordinary life. Dad (Grandpa) especially loved to spend as much time as possible doing whatever his grandkids and greatgrandkids were doing; we will all miss this one of a kind man.
A Military Memorial Service will be held at the Elmwood
Cemetery in Fruita, Colorado on Saturday, August 22, 2015, at
2:00 p.m. with a celebration of his life to follow at Crossroad
Methodist Church, 599 30 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado.
If you would like, please make contributions in his name to the
Air Force Aid Society at Donations@afas-hq.org, or
Headquarters Air Force Aid Society, 241 18th Street S., Suite
202, Arlington, VA 22202.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3 D Obituary - July 26, 2015
