On Thursday, February 27, 2025, Charles Keith Mills, 67, passed away at his home after a relentless struggle with ALS. He was surrounded by an adoring family and immediately entered into God’s Grace, where he was undoubtedly greeted by his parents, Thomas Lamar and Margaret Dunn Mills, sister, Judy Mae Mills, and beloved granddaughter, Annie Louise Mills.
He is survived by his wife, Andrea Shackleton Mills, sons, Andrew Keith (Lindsey), and Dylan James (Margaret), and daughter, Kyle Grace Trinidad (Chris); grandchildren Margaret Allen Mills, and Andrew Harris Mills; sister, Jenny Winsor (David); brothers, Andrew Jackson Mills (Gina), Thomas Lamar Mills Jr (Sharon), and Joseph Robert Mills; nieces, Britney Mills Conley (Morgan), and Lena Rachael Mills; nephews, Thomas Lamar Mills III (Mary), and Nicholas Robert Mills (Jessica).
Keith, or Spud as he was referred to by his father, Savage by his mother, Barn Boy by his siblings, Uncle Happy by his nieces and nephews, or Air Mobile at Federated Insurance, was raised in Goshen, Alabama on the family farm. It was there that he honed his lifelong passion of wreaking playful havoc on his family, friends, and strangers alike. In high school, his athletic ability was the talk of the town. He became the star player on the Goshen High School baseball team, basketball team, and football team, while also serving as captain of the school band. In baseball, his abilities were such that he went on to play in a semi-pro league in California. And, despite being vertically challenged, he could touch the rim on the basketball goal.
After high school, Keith attended Auburn University, where his lifelong devotion to the Auburn Tigers began, a feverish loyalty that almost caused him to name his first son “Charles Barkley Mills.” After graduating from Auburn in 1980, he began a career in insurance sales, and settled in Mobile in 1984. In that same year, he discovered his true calling when his son Andrew was born. As a man with a God-given talent for many things, he excelled at nothing more than being a father.
It was this quality – and a supremely sexy smile – that first struck his future wife, Andrea. During a chilly insurance conference in Minnesota in 1989, farm boy Keith charmed California girl Andrea, despite the fact that she was appalled he’d failed to do his homework for the program. Within a year she gave up her native West Coast sunshine to move to Dog River, where they married on February 24, 1990. Keith revelled in bringing joy and adventure to Andrea’s life from beginning to end, travelling the world and all across the United States by plane, RV, motorcycle, and convertible. He was her rock and steady source of laughter for 35 years of marriage. More importantly, he proved to be the best father she had ever seen, raising his three proudest accomplishments with the kind of ease and grace you only see once in a lifetime. Even when they became adults, Keith would regularly drive across the country and through the night to be with his children any time he was needed. And he was needed a lot.
Though he worked hard, Keith will be better remembered by most for his sense of playfulness. He excelled at sales not because he felt strongly about selling a product, but because of his love of people, and in turn their love of him. He retired from the insurance business in 2015, and went full time investing in real estate, a savvy financial decision that also finally allowed him to do the physical work he so enjoyed. When he wasn’t digging out a basement window or installing a new door handle, he was pursuing his many passions, like quarter sorting and playfully harassing bank tellers, pharmacy workers, convenience store attendants, and any other casual acquaintance who was lucky enough to cross his path. His props of mischief included rubber snakes, plastic spiders, numerous wigs, shocking pens, and the odd rattlesnake egg. His pranks would continue up until the very end, startling his hospice nurse by wrapping a rubber snake around the side mirror of her car the day before he passed.
These accolades only begin to sum up the man that was beloved by so many. He was the king of the road trip, an epic neighbor, Drum Corps enthusiast, and founder of a uniquely personal charity, Annie’s Gift Ministry. He was an avid woodworker, crafting tables, book shelves, easels, and his most rewarding project, baby boxes for his current and future grandchildren. His athletic ability remained on display throughout his life, whether on the golf course where he perfected the art of the slice, slalom skiing on Dog River, hammering away with his Habitat for Humanity group, or beating men ten years his junior on the local basketball court while his infant son Andrew watched from his stroller.
Though he left us all too soon for our liking, he brought an outsized amount of joy to the world around him. For that, we are thankful for the peace he has finally found in the embrace of God.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the ALS Association or ALS Therapy Development Institute to help find a cure for this brutal disease.
