Obituary of Richard Thomas Mills

Richard Thomas Mills May 28, 1921 – June 12, 2012 Richard Mills, known to his friends as Dick, was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Clarence and Edith Mills. Having lived a full and productive life, he left this world and entered into his eternal home on June 12, 2012. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, or as he lovingly called her, Betty, and his five children—Janice Mortenson, John Mills, Karen Castagna, Richard S. Mills, Ruth Mills Robbins—who between them gave him twelve grandchildren. Of Dick’s five siblings, Avis Mills, Lucille Birk, and Duane Mills passed on before him, leaving his two youngest siblings, Elizabeth Miller and Gerry Mills, to survive him. Dick graduated from high school in Detroit. Following high school, he attended Lynchburg College in Virginia, graduating in 1945. While in school, he worked in the school cafeteria to support himself and he preached at nearby churches. During his time in college, Dick met Betty and they married on June 5, 1946. They then moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Dick attended Northern Baptist Seminary. While at seminary, Dick and Betty responded to a call for missionaries and began the process of preparing to go overseas with the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society. In 1950, Dick, his wife, and their oldest daughter moved to Paris, France for language study. While in Paris, their oldest son was born. After a year of language study, they set sail for Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). In this West African country, another daughter and son were born. Their fifth child was born while they were on furlough in the United States. During his fifty years as a missionary in Africa, Dick learned Cebaara, translated parts of the New Testament into this Senoufo language, wrote a comprehensive Cebaara-French dictionary, compiled books of stories, and supervised the writing of several other books useful to the Senoufo people. He planted the first church in Korhogo, Cote D’Ivoire, as well as churches in outlying villages. When the University of Abidjan asked Betty to write a course to teach Cebaara, Dick agreed that they should move from Korhogo to Abidjan. He saw that the language course and the dictionary that he was writing would advance the cause of the gospel. For his many years of service to the Senoufo people, the Ivorian government presented him with the Commander of the National Order (Commandeur d’Ordre Nationale), their highest civilian award. Dick loved nothing better than to share Christ with someone, and he saw the written word as an important part of that process. His life was devoted to sharing the Word of God and to making the written Word available to the African people. Dick retired from the mission field in 1999. His wife and he returned to the United States and spent a year at the Overseas Ministries Study Center in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to the U.S. Center for World Missions in Pasadena, California, for a year. In 2001, the Mills moved to Panorama City in Lacey, Washington. Dick passed away at 8:00 a.m. on June 12, 2012, with his wife by his side, holding his hand. All donations can be given to IBB (Institute Biblique Bethel - Bethel Bible Institute) as a tribute in memory of Richard T. Mills at: Please leave memories of Dick or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.