Robert Craig Mills

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.   On November 26th, 1994, he married Anne L. Vaaler and they have two children, Megan and Alex Mills.  Devoted to family above all else, Craig considered his children his greatest accomplishment.  He could always be found attending one of his children’s sporting or school events and loved spending his time with them.   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.

Following his return to his hometown, Craig began his career with the Butler County Prosecutors office followed by the Butler County Sheriff’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.

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.  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.  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.  When he wasn’t on the baseball field, he could always be found fishing.  He was an avid, well-respected, and competitive fisherman and won many professional bass fishing tournaments. 

Craig was a great friend to all he knew.  As one friend described him, he was a “one phone call” kind of person, you could make one phone call and he would be there to help you, no questions asked.  He was a generous, kindhearted, disciplined, and passionate person who treated everyone with respect and loved his friends and family fiercely.

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. 

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. 

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.  The funeral service will be at 12:00 pm with Dr. John Lewis officiating. Burial will follow at Rose Hill burial Park.  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.  Condolences can be made at www.browndawsonflick.com

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