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Samuel David Mills, 73, of 1869 17th Road, Bark River, passed away at his home on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, of an apparent heart attack.

Samuel was born at St. Francis Hospital, the son of Samuel and Hildur (Johnson) Mills on April 30, 1938.

Samuel attended Escanaba High School and furthered his education in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Bay College in engineering and drafting.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1964, primarily at Fort Knox, Ky. Throughout his life he worked a variety of jobs between Escanaba and Chicago from the ships on the Great Lakes to the Chicago Northwestern Railroad.

He came home to the Escanaba area to work at Harnischfeger and later Mead Paper Corporation, retiring as a maintenance supervisor in 1998.

Samuel had a love for all things outdoors from working in his gardens to spending time at camp. Upon retirement he found his new hobby of restoring old Ford tractors, which would lead him to travel across the states of Michigan and Wisconsin in search of parts. He also never got the railroad out of his blood as he would collect memorabilia and would never pass up the opportunity to visit a museum or take a ride out West.

He loved his family very much and is survived by his wife, Janice (Froberg), who he married on Oct. 15, 1988; daughters, Tinia (Gary) Rudden of Gladstone, Pamela (Lee) Loss of Colorado Springs, Colo.; son, Samuel (Liz) of Phoenix, Ariz.; stepson, Heikki (Michelle) Darrow of Appleton, Wis.; brother, John (Janet) of Chamberlain, S.D.; and nieces and nephews.

He was also the proud grandfather of Jason, Kelsey, Chloe, Brody, Ashley, Trey and Kianna.

Samuel was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Mary and Patsy.

The Mills family will receive friends on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Skradski-Boyce Funeral Home in Escanaba. Memorial services will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Chris Johnson officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the charity of one's choosing. For additional information or to leave the Mills family a message of condolence, go to www.skradski-boycefuneralhomes.com.