Lt. Col. Harry Lewis Mills (U.S. Army Retired)

Lieutenant Colonel Harry Lewis Mills, Sr. (U.S. Army Retired), 89, of Charleston, SC and husband of Gwendolyn Rourk (Sunny) Mills to whom he had been married for more than 66 years, died March 30, 2025. Born January 19, 1936, in Pensacola, Florida, he was the son of Colonel Archibald Solomon and Irma Dewberry Mills. Harry was a member of the Charleston Presbyterian Church. Inurnment in The Citadel Columbarium will be private with a memorial service in the Citadel Summerall Chapel, 11:00 am Saturday, April 5, 2025.

Along with his wife, Harry is survived by his daughters, Annette Mills Parker of Greensboro, NC, Melissa Mills Cox of Johns Island, SC; and son, Harry Lewis Mills, Jr. (Mimi) of Hollywood, SC. He is also survived by his grandsons, Andrew Graham Costa of Charleston, SC, and Hunter Lewis Mills (Taylor); and one great-granddaughter, Ivy Grace Mills of Summerville, SC. Harry was predeceased by his parents and two brothers, Colonel William D. Mills and 2nd Lieutenant Archibald S. Mills, Jr.; three sisters, Nancy M. McLendon, Roberta M. Sims and Janie M. Solomon; his grandparents, Lewis Archibald and Caroline Dennis Mills, and Dr. Williams and Marguerite Waters Dewberry. He is survived by many nieces and nephews.

Harry was a graduate of Jeff Davis High School in Hazelhurst, GA, a 1958 graduate of The Citadel in Charleston, SC, with a BS in Civil Engineering, a Masters degree in Construction Management from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK and The Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA. While residing in Oklahoma, he became a Registered Professional Engineer.

Harry was inducted in the Honorary Engineering Society, Tau Beta Pi and in 2019, he was inducted into The Citadel’s School of Engineering’s Academy of Engineers. Harry was a life member of The Citadel Alumni Association, Life Member of Fidelity Lodge No. 304 Ancient Free Mason, a Lifetime Charter Member of the World War II Memorial Society and Life Member of The Good Sam Club. He was also a member of The American Legion South Carolina Post #0172, Omar Shrine Temple, The Army Historical Foundation, South Carolina Historical Society and The Genealogical Society of South Carolina.

After graduating from The Citadel, Harry married the love of his life, Sunny, on December 14, 1958, and during their exciting life lived in 30 houses (23 in military life and seven after). Harry would often joke that they moved so many times, Sunny could set up their new home in just three days. In addition of five years in the US Army Reserves while in high school and The Citadel, Harry served twenty years with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers as a Combat and Construction Engineer, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring in 1978. During this time, he was stationed in Korea for 15 months and Germany where he managed the Repair and Utilities support in Augsburg. Germany was to be a three-year assignment but after one year he was sent to Fort Hood, TX to help form an engineer battalion to deploy on one of his two tours of duty in Vietnam. He provided support for the U.S. forces in the III and IV Corps and served as Base Development Engineer Advisor to the South Vietnamese Join General Staff. Harry and his family were stationed in Saudi Arabia where he managed an infrastructure program of over one billion seven hundred thousand dollars and completed a plan for management projects estimated in the range of four billion dollars. During his time on active duty, he was awarded the Legion of Merit Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Army Commendation medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters. He also received the Armed Forces Honor Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal as well as an award from the Saudi Arabian Governments.

Before retiring from military life, Sunny and Harry were excited about celebrating Christmas Mass with Pope Paul VI in St. Peter’s Basilica on one of their trips to Rome with their children and Sunny’s mom. They made several return trips to Germany, three trips to Italy and one to Ireland as well as Hawaii, Jamaica and Mexico.

After retiring from the U.S. Army, Harry went to work for Figg and Muller Engineers where he assumed the duties as Resident Engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation on the Long Key Segmental/Concrete Bridge in Long Key, FL, a state-of-the-art bridge and the first of its kind in the Southeast. Sunny, Harry and the construction crew enjoyed serving surf (lobster caught off the coast of Florida by the crew) and turf to visiting dignitaries from other states. After completing the Long Key Bridge earlier than scheduled, he then accepted a job with Misener Marine Construction Company in Tampa, FL, as manager of Engineering and supervised the Harbor Island Development in Downtown Tampa consisting of bridges, elevated people mover and foundations of waterfront development.

Harry and Sunny decided to move back home to Charleston where he worked for the South Carolina Department of Transportation managing the hired consultants and overseeing inspections of several public works, such as the I-526 Wando River Bridge, I-526 Cooper River steel truss bridge, the I-526 Don Holt Bridge, the Clyde M. Dangerfield Isle of Palms Connector, the James Island Expressway and the SC 61 Connector. After completion of these projects, Harry moved to District 6 as Bridge Engineer responsible for maintenance of the bridges in the district, including the Grace and the Pearlman Cooper River Bridges and subsequently promoted to District 6 Administrator. After retiring from SCDOT, he was asked to open an office for H&TB. Harry told them he would stay for two years but ended up staying three.

After deciding to live the life of a true retiree, Harry contacted a friend and retired minister, Wayne Bogue, and the two of them established Islands Presbyterian Church on Johns Island. Eight years later, because of Covid and illness in Pastor Bogue’s family that resulted in Cathy and Wayne leaving the Charleston area, Islands Presbyterian closed its doors. Harry served as Elder in many of the churches he and his family held membership.

The Mills’ bought a motor home, joined the Good Sam Camping Group and traveled with friends from the Grand Canyon to Niagara Falls from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Natchez Trace and even sat in a swing on the front porch of Elvis’ childhood home in Memphis, TN. Many wonderful trips were made with only Sunny and one or two of their four legged friends. They are members of Palmetto Cove Campground in Cleveland, SC, and enjoyed trips throughout South and North Carolina. Lots of hours were spent with family and friends fishing and shrimping off their deck on Wadmalaw Island before moving to James Island. What a wonderful life!

Harry coached his children’s sports including football, baseball, and swimming; and will always be remembered as a man who loved his Lord, Sunny, his children and grandchildren more than any words could describe.

The family would like to thank members of Hospice, the staff, medical personnel and everyone at the Veterans Victory House in Walterboro, SC, who helped to make Harry’s final days and those of all resident veterans, ones of respect, peace and comfort. They helped take away a lot of worry while Harry was away from home. Sunny would also like to thank her wonderful friends, Sandy Floyd and Robin White, who gave up their time to drive her to Walterboro for visits with Harry. Thank you to her friends in the Better Together Bible Study group and the members of Charleston Presbyterian Church for their loving support at this most difficult time. Thank you also to Crystal Rozier for her pound cakes she baked for Harry. At times this was all Sunny could get him to eat. He recognized the taste of her cakes from all others.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; Charleston Presbyterian Church, 1405 Miles Drive, P.O. Box 31834, Charleston, SC 29417-1834; or to a charity of your choice.