|
|
  |
EMMETT MILLS – A TRIBUTE
On the morning of December 15, 1944, the USS Dragonet was on her first war patrol, cruising submerged in the frigid waters off Matsuwa To, part of the Kiriles Islands north of the home islands of Japan. At 7:17 a.m., the submarine rose to periscope depth for an observation. Following the observation, Captain Jack Lewis ordered the diving officer to take the submarine down to 100 feet. At 70 feet, Lewis felt a jar he thought might have been a Japanese bomb. Lewis ordered the diving officer to “take her down” and rig the boat for depth charges.
The collision alarm sounded and Lewis quickly realized they had run aground on an uncharted underwater mountain. The forward torpedo room flooded and the boat settled on the sea bottom at 92 feet. The boat was pounding and grinding on the sea floor and nothing Lewis or the diving officer did would raise the boat. Lewis was concerned that the boat would break up on the sea floor from the abuse. The crew finally managed to stabilize the flooding in the forward torpedo room and blew the ballast tanks clear of water. Slowly the boat rose to the surface in sight of the Japanese gun installations on Matsuwa.
Unable to submerge, the submarine made a surface run out of the area toward Midway Island. The forward torpedo room, still partially flooded, was inspected and it was discovered that the pressure hull had ruptured, potentially a fatal threat to a submarine’s seaworthiness. Dragonet was listing heavily to port but able to make way on the surface.
At approximately 6:00 p.m. the next day, the barometer dropped drastically and Dragonet found herself in the middle of gale force winds and heavy seas. The water again began to rise in the forward torpedo room and the ship developed a 20° port list. She began to roll in the heavy seas as she tried to find the best course to run out the storm.
The port list became more pronounced and the rolling more frequent as the storm reached the peak of its fury. The boat rolled at one point 63° to port and hung there for what seemed an eternity. Personnel were thrown out of bunks, clear across compartments. The sea filled the port side of the bridge but fortunately did not reach the conning tower hatch. Eventually the seas subsided and Dragonet limped into Midway. The drama was over and the crew was able to celebrate Christmas on dry land.
The young diving officer was Lieutenant Emmett Mills. He was a certified war hero. He was also our hero…a remarkable man with a remarkable past.
Emmett West Mills was born on November 7, 1920 in Albany, Georgia. He was the first child of four born to Hugh and Jonnie Mills. His siblings are with us today to bid him farewell. Uncle Hugh Mills is with us from Gainesville, Georgia accompanied by his daughter, Becky. Uncle John Mills and Aunt Carol are with us from Alexandria, Virginia, and Aunt Frances Syptak, the baby of the family, is with us from Hickory, North Carolina accompanied by her son Jamie.
Grandma Mills died of cancer when Dad was 14 years old and was raised by Grandpa Mills and several Mills relatives until Grandpa remarried. He excelled in school under the watchful eye of his high school principal, Grandpa Mills. He played a number of sports and was a champion swimmer. He excelled in football and was a golden gloves boxer. As a young man, he had Hollywood good looks, a trait he retained until the day he died.
Following high school, Dad enrolled at North Georgia College, later transferring to Georgia Tech. He was one semester shy of receiving his engineering degree when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor bringing the United States into World War II. Young men Dad’s age rushed to the nearest recruiting offices to join the war effort. Dad enlisted in the Navy and was sent to Evanston, IL for Officer’s Candidate School. He emerged an Ensign and signed up for submarine duty. I once asked him why he volunteered for such dangerous duty. He replied, “because the food was good.”
Dragonet was the second of four submarines he served on during World War II. The first, USS Sculpin, sank with no survivors on its first patrol following his transfer to Dragonet. He later served on the USS Pintado while Dragonet was being repaired and captained the USS Seal at the close of the war. He earned two bronze stars, an Army unit citation and the Phillipine defense and liberation medals in addition to numerous campaign ribbons and awards. Following the war, he remained in the Naval Reserve, rising to the rank of Captain, one grade below Admiral.
Dad met Jackie Franco at a wedding in 1944. She actually had a crush on Dad’s roommate but, as she used to joke, “got stuck with Emmett.” Luck for us that she did! Dad and Jackie Franco eloped to New York City and were married in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on June 30, 1944. After a whirlwind honeymoon in New York, Mom returned home expecting her first child while Dad returned to his submarine and World War II.
Once Dad returned from the war, the family grew at a fast and furious pace. I am the first of 8 children born in the Mills family. Emmett Jr., or “Bubba” as we call him, was born a year after me followed by twin boys, Rick and Frank, two years later. Mom and Dad quickly found themselves with 4 boys under 4 years of age. The girls came a little more slowly. Jackie, Patty, Mary Jo and Gwen filled out the Mills family over the next several years.
After the war, Mom and Dad moved into the Franco house in Royal Oak, while Dad looked for a job and larger living quarters for his growing family. They rented a home on Roseland and eventually bought a small ranch home on Robinwood near 14 Mile and Woodward. In 1953, they bought the Northwood home where we all grew up. Twenty four years later, they moved to the Lahser Road home in Beverly Hills where Dad lived until 2002 when he moved to Bingham Farms.
Dad worked for a short while in our Grandfather’s paper company until joining the Kresge Co. as an engineer. The Kresge Co., later K-Mart Corporation, was opening stores at a furious pace and grew to be one of the country’s largest retailers. Dad was integral to the development of new stores and was the construction superintendent for the first several K-Mart stores. He worked at Kresge/K-Mart for 38 years before retiring in 1986.
While at Kresge’s, Dad got the idea for his own company and founded Oakland Utilities Service Co. in 1963. He sold the company to Bubba in 2002 but remained with the company as a consultant until he passed away.
I can never remember a time during Dad’s career when he only worked one job. He earned a good salary at Kresge’s but the demands of housing, feeding, clothing, educating and raising his growing family in the style and manner he thought we deserved always seemed to put a little strain on the finances.
In addition to Kresge’s and his Naval Reserve duty, Dad worked part-time for Muntz Lawn Sprinkler Company measuring large Bloomfield Hills estates for sprinkler systems. Bub and I used to go with him on Saturday mornings to hold the end of the tape measure. We were always rewarded with a hamburger and a milk shake for our efforts.
Dad was generous to a fault. We were all well clothed, well fed, educated in parochial schools, sent to summer camps and grew up happy and healthy. There were always what seemed to be hundreds of presents under the Christmas tree and birthdays usually brought a major gift such as a bike or a record-player (that’s what we called stereos back then) in addition to a party at the zoo or some similar location with our friends. Dad would do little things for us on an “as needed” basis, slipping us a little extra money or paying for something he had no obligation to cover. These gifts were usually accompanied by the admonition “let’s not tell your Mother about this.” Several of us were sharing our personal “don’t tell Mom” stories about Dad the other night.
The highlight of every Christmas, and every birthday for Mom, was her present from Dad. He always went out of his way to buy her some piece of jewelry or clothing that would dazzle all of us. It clearly made him much happier to give than to receive.
Ever mindful of the need for a good education, Dad and Mom set up a trust fund to help pay for college expenses for his grandchildren. Several have already completed college through his generoscity.
My son Danny attends University of Detroit Jesuit High School. The motto at U of D is “Men for Others,” meaning they are training men to go into society doing good for others. Dan never attended U of D but he was truly a “Man for Others.” He contributed generously to the church and most of the major charities. If anyone he knew was in trouble, Dad was always there to help, whether financially or through moral support. He quietly paid the nursing home and funeral bills for family friends and relatives down on their luck.
He was an usher for years at the Shrine of the Little Flower and later at St. Regis. He headed up various church fund-raising campaigns and belonged to all of the school booster clubs. It’s hard to go through life not making some enemies along the way. If Dad had any, they were well hidden. I have never met anyone who didn’t like and respect Emmett Mills.
Dad was a close friend and affectionate master to any number of animals over the years. Winzie, Louie, Pookie, Duggan, Pudding, Pie, Pansie and countless other canines are all waiting for him to arrive at the Rainbow Bridge with their tails wagging furiously. Muffin has lost her best friend.
Dad loved to party with his family. Every major summer holiday meant a pool party at the Mills house. Dad loved to cook on his grill and particularly loved watching his children and grandchildren enjoy the pool. Each party had a theme. Memorial Day always meant steaks on the grill. July 4th always meant hot dogs and hamburgers. Labor Day was always bratwurst in beer sauce.
A part of every party was the sing-along. I would play the guitar while Dad led the singing. His favorite song was “Waltzing Matilda.” He would dramatically tell the story of the “jolly swagman” and we would all join in on the chorus. That was usually followed by a rousing chorus of “I’m a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech.” If we were lucky, Dad would launch into some of his old Navy songs, which generally chased Mom and my sisters from the room red-faced.
In 1994, his faith, courage, love and endurance were all tested. His beloved Jackie developed esophegal cancer which led to several other problems over the ensuing 5 years. With the help of Fr. Don Walker, Mom and Dad’s friend of nearly 50 years and the 9th Mills sibling, Dad took care of Mom’s every need. Mom’s journey came to a close on January 14, 2000. While Dad outwardly appeared to “suck it up” and go on with life, we could tell he was devastated by the loss. His family was his life and he just lost a major part of it.
His dedication to caring for Mom during her illness, and particularly during her final days, was truly remarkable. He was the rock that we all turned to for support. He didn’t let us down. He was always there for her just as he was always there for us. No one gave him a medal for that but he was no less a hero in our eyes.
In April 2002, I got a call at my office from Dad. He began: “Hi Johnny. I just wanted you to hear this from me rather than anyone else. I’m getting married.”
I asked him, “Is it anyone I know?” I truly wasn’t aware he was even dating someone much less at the point where he was considering marriage.
He replied: “I don’t think you ever met her but I’ve known her for about 3 weeks now and proposed to her last night.”
You can imagine the thoughts that ran through my mind at the news. I asked him: “Isn’t this a little early to enter into a new marriage?” Dad replied, “At my age, I buy my bananas ripe.” I got the message.
A day or so later, however, I had the pleasure of meeting Jane Buell, Dad’s bride to be. A recent widow herself, Jane was introduced to Dad through my sister Jackie and they hit it off immediately. They planned a wedding the following June and I was asked to be Dad’s best man. It was an honor I can’t describe. Fr. Don officiated and they hosted a reception at Red Run Country Club. After dinner, we sang a parody of Waltzing Matilda written by Jackie. It was titled Short-Term Engagement.
Dad’s marriage to Jane brought back the twinkle to his eye and the spring to his step. Once again, he had someone to keep him company, travel with him, someone to share his thoughts with and someone to care for and love. He stepped back into the role of husband without missing a beat. “Lady Jane,” as he affectionately called her, became “Mrs. Mills” and he was once again complete.
Dad’s life with Lady Jane was too short a run. While they gave it hell for the 3 ½ years they were together, it should have lasted much longer for both of them. Dad worshiped Jane as he had Mom. For her part, Jane was a loving, dedicated wife for Dad and the perfect life partner. They were ideally suited for each other. Once Dad took ill, she nursed him, cared for him and loved him to the end. Dad was lucky all his life. Finding Jane continued the lucky streak.
Dad taught all of us many things. As kids, he taught us how to ride bikes, how to swim, how to build a campfire and how to be a dad. There were many lessons we learned from Dad that he never taught us. He just had to be Dad. He never taught us how to be honest or kind. He just had to be Dad. He never taught us how to be a good spouse or a loving parent. He just had to be Dad. He never taught us to do things for other people. He just had to be Dad. He taught us much more by example than he could ever teach us directly. He was our hero.
It’s hard to believe Dad is actually gone. He always seemed indestructible. Through his wartime experiences, several illnesses…including some life-threatening conditions…Dad always came through. He was always there for us. And he always will be. Dad wouldn’t want any tears at his passing, although there have been plenty of those. He’d want all of us to remember the good times and there have also been plenty of those. He’d want a toast to his memory at family barbeques. He’d want the songs to continue. He’d want us to continue to live by his example. He’d want the memories to be good ones. He’d want them passed along to future generations so they would know him and know why they called his “The Greatest Generation.”
He was Jackie’s husband and he was Jane’s husband. He was Hugh, John and Frances’ loving brother. He was an uncle, brother-in-law and father-in-law to the Mills family as well as the extended Franco and Buell families. He was Grandpa, Great Grandpa and sometimes just “Papa.” He was Fr. Don’s best friend and a friend to countless others. He was the “jolly swagman” and he was a “Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech.” He was our hero and our Daddy. We’ll all miss him dearly
Beloved husband of Jane E. (formerly Buell) and the late Jacqueline E. (nee. Franco). Dear father of John (Kathy), Emmett Jr. (Gayle), Richard (Mary), Frank (Sheila), Jacqueline Aubuchon (Richard), Patricia A., Mary Jo Mercier (Paul) and Gwen Smith. Stepfather of Michael, Beth, Scott, Webb, Mardi and Robin. Also survived by 25 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Brother of Hugh (Patsy), John (Carol) and Frances Suptak. Dear friend of Rev. Donald Walker.
Family will receive friends at A.J. Desmond & Sons (Vasu, Rodgers & Connell Chapel), 32515 Woodward Ave. (btwn 13-14 Mile) Sunday 2-8pm.
Funeral Mass Monday 10am at St. Regis Church, 3695 Lincoln at Lahser Rds., Bloomfield Hills. Visitation begins at church 9:30am.
Memorial tributes to Variety, The Children’s Charity, 30161 Southfield Rd., Ste 301, Southfield, MI 48076 ~or~ Children’s Hospital of Michigan, 3901 Beaubien, Detroit, MI 48201
|
| |
|
|
|
