Paul Raymond Mills passed away on June 17, 2026, at the age of 83. A funeral service will be held at 11 AM, on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Furlong Funeral Chapel in Galena, IL where friends may gather after 10 AM until the time of service. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery, Galena. Military honors will be accorded graveside by Galena VFW Post #2665 and American legion Post #193.

Paul was born on February 10, 1943, in Dubuque, IA, to Mae (Spark) and Alfred Mills. He was the third of four boys and grew up surrounded by his brothers, Albert, Robert, and Wayne. After losing his mother when he was only 15 years old and growing up without his father, his brothers became more than siblings—they became his family and best friends for life. After graduating from Dubuque Senior High School in 1962, Paul proudly joined the United States Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam as a Fire Tank Commander and carried great pride in his military service throughout his life.

When he returned home, Paul worked a variety of jobs before beginning a long career with John Deere in Dubuque, where he worked for more than 33 years before retiring. In August of 1967, Paul married Martha Wolf. Together they welcomed their daughter, Roxann, later that year and their son, Tony, in 1971. Although their marriage eventually ended, they remained an important part of each other’s family story. In 1993, Paul married Karron Prell-Schmid of Galena. Together they built a life filled with love, laughter, gardens, projects, and countless memories over nearly 33 years of marriage.

Paul was happiest when he was building something, fixing something, or bringing something old back to life. With the help of his wives and brothers, he built three homes with his own hands. He enjoyed fishing with his buddies, gardening with Karron, and spending hours in his garage tinkering on projects. Of all his hobbies, nothing captured Paul’s heart quite like his beloved red 1957 Chevy with its continental kit. He was a regular at Graffiti Nights and never missed a chance to talk about classic cars. As anyone who knew him would tell you, Paul truly “got off on ’57 Chevys.”

Paul leaves behind his wife, Karron Mills of Galena, his former wife, Martha Mills of East Dubuque, IL; his daughter, Roxann (Steve) Krull of Chicago, IL; his grandsons, Ryley and Dylan Krull; and his son, Tony Mills of Baltimore, MD, his three step-children, Jay (Kathy) Schmid of Joshua, MN, Robin (John) Huibregtse of Mission Viejo, CA, and Jennifer (Chris) Bowen of Vail, AZ, and six step-grandchildren.

He was welcomed into heaven by his parents and his three brothers, Albert, Robert, and Wayne, whom he loved and missed greatly.

The family would like to thank all of the relatives, friends, neighbors, and the many people who felt like family for their kindness, support, thoughts, and prayers during this difficult time. Paul will be remembered for his strong work ethic, his love of family, his service to his country, his ability to build just about anything, and the joy he found in life’s simple pleasures. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.

Online condolences may be left at www.furlongfuneralchapel.com