Robert Craig Mills Hamilton, Ohio Obituary

Robert Craig Mills

<p>Robert Craig Mills passed away on September 12, 2021, at the age of 57 in Hamilton, OH. He was born to Raymond and Janet Marie (Hensley) Mills on January 14, 1964.&nbsp;&nbsp; On November 26th, 1994, he married Anne L. Vaaler and they have two children, Megan and Alex Mills.&nbsp; Devoted to family above all else, Craig considered his children his greatest accomplishment.&nbsp; He could always be found attending one of his children&rsquo;s sporting or school events and loved spending his time with them.&nbsp; &nbsp;Craig was educated in the Hamilton City Schools, where he was a standout athlete and upon graduation was drafted by the Detroit Tigers baseball organization.</p> <p>Following his return to his hometown, Craig began his career with the Butler County Prosecutors office followed by the Butler County Sheriff&rsquo;s office where he earned The Deputy of the Year award in 2013. Craig worked in law enforcement for nearly 35 years and retired in 2019, only to return to the work he enjoyed mere months later.</p> <p>Baseball was always a very significant part of his life and because of his achievements, he was inducted into the Hamilton High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Butler County Softball Hall of Fame.&nbsp; His love of baseball led Craig to want to help others and he gave a great deal of his time to young baseball players working to help develop their skills and achieve their goals.&nbsp; He was not only a great coach, but he became a mentor to many of the players throughout the years, many of whom still acknowledge the positive impact he made on their lives.&nbsp; When he wasn&rsquo;t on the baseball field, he could always be found fishing.&nbsp; He was an avid, well-respected, and competitive fisherman and won many professional bass fishing tournaments.&nbsp;</p> <p>Craig was a great friend to all he knew.&nbsp; As one friend described him, he was a &ldquo;one phone call&rdquo; kind of person, you could make one phone call and he would be there to help you, no questions asked.&nbsp; He was a generous, kindhearted, disciplined, and passionate person who treated everyone with respect and loved his friends and family fiercely.</p> <p>Craig is survived by his wife Anne Vaaler Mills, and children Megan and Alex Mills and his loving sister, Rayetta Fields, his brother and sister in law, Scott and Stephanie Vaaler and Eric and Suzanne Vaaler, and his nieces and nephews, Rhonda Fields Langdon (Jon), Ragan Fields Coulby (Howard), Aric Mills (Jennifer) , Amanda Mills Miller (Doug), Katherine and Andrew Vaaler, Christine, John and Erica Vaaler, numerous great nieces and nephews, two uncles and many cousins, along with a host of very loyal friends.&nbsp;</p> <p>He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Marie Mills, brother Doug Mills, brother-in-law Ronnie Fields, influential Uncle Manford Mills and mother-in-law Susan Cummins Myers.&nbsp;</p> <p>Visitation will be held from 9:00 to 12:00 on Saturday, September 18, 2021 at Brown Dawson Flick Funeral Home, 1350 Millville Ave, Hamilton, OH 45013.&nbsp; The funeral service will be at 12:00 pm with Dr. John Lewis officiating. Burial will follow at Rose Hill burial Park.&nbsp; In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Craig Mills Memorial Scholarship Fund-8574 at any 5/3rd bank location or mail to PO Box 13644, Hamilton, Ohio 45013.&nbsp; Condolences can be made at www.browndawsonflick.com</p>
January 14, 1964 - September 12, 202101/14/196409/12/2021
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bryan hofstetter
September 21, 2021
hell of a fisherman
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With love from the Lahrmanns - Mary Jo, Steve, Jack and Henry
September 20, 2021
Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss. Our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
Memorial Tree

Memorial Tree was purchased for the family of Robert Craig Mills. Send flowers

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Monte Hackney7
September 19, 2021
Craig was a friend and co worker. He always had a smile and a joke or words of encouragement. He was a great athalete. He will be greatly missed. His family will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Monte Hackney
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Belinda Mills Plvan
September 19, 2021
My father, Ray Mills, coached Craig in basketball at Garfield and if I remember correctly their team went undefeated or they were really good. My Dad always thought a lot of Craig and he was a really good basketball player. CraIg and I always said we were cousins and I t... Continue Reading
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Jean Haley
September 18, 2021
Our lives will forever be touched by Bambi! He quickly became one of Tims favorite teammates and we will always remember our all night trip to Savanna to play a weekend softball tournament with Jays!!! Anne and family, please know you can always count on Tim and I for an... Continue Reading
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Dennis Donovan
September 17, 2021
I knew Craig from fishing Bass Tournaments against him. He was a great guy with a good sense of humor. I can tell you he hated to loose, which made him so good. I once hid a Bengals socking cap in his boat to slow him down and get in his head. It was in one of those year... Continue Reading
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Cara Minton-Dooley
September 17, 2021
Mr. Craig was beyond an amazing guy. Throughout my battle with addiction I ran into him a bunch between Butler Co jail and the streets he was never mean spirited he always had kind words and spoke so much life into me. My heart hurts thinking of him passing but I can ded... Continue Reading
1 comment
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Cynthia Brown
September 18, 2021
Thank you so much Cara for sharing just how kind, caring & compassionate Deputy Craig Mills was with everyone, even those he had contact with on the "other side of the fence" if you will. Congratulations for your 3 years of sobriety, and most of all, for your kind words a... Continue Reading
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Guest
September 17, 2021
GRANDMA'S GARDEN TABLE BASKET

GRANDMA'S GARDEN TABLE BASKET was purchased for the family of Robert Craig Mills. Send flowers

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Kimberly Grabel
September 16, 2021
The loss of such a good person saddens me. He was the best and most loyal friend my brother Keven could have ever had.
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Bev & Jack Wyant
September 16, 2021
Sorry for your loss.