Lost Wallet

One day when we were on our mission in Tallahassee, Florida, we had been out visiting people in Madison, Florida where we were assigned for our whole mission. On our way home, we decided to buy an ice cream cone. Claude took out his wallet to pay for the ice cream. He decided to leave his wallet out of his pocket. I set it on my lap and forgot about it. As I got out of the car, the wallet fell on the ground. We didn’t realize it was missing until the next morning. We looked and looked for it. When we couldn’t find it we canceled our credit card, but we didn’t know what to do about his Driver’s License.

A member of the church lived a couple of houses away from us. A lady who lived across from us found the wallet outside in her yard. She believed a dog had carried it into her yard. She noticed a paper in the wallet with the church’s name on it (Claude's temple recommend.) She took the wallet over to the church member’s house and he brought it back to us. Everything was in the wallet. We felt the Lord was watching over us. We felt so blessed.
--Joyce

How We Met

Claude and I met 60 years ago at a State Basketball Championship Game. My parents drove me, my sister Elaine, and my cousin Jean Marie to the game. As we were sitting there enjoying the game, these two boys came to sit by us and one of the boys was Claude. I had never seen such a handsome boy. We visited during the game and then my parents took me home.

The next day I got a call from Claude, asking me out on a date. I was so excited I could hardly stand the wait. We went on our first date to a dance. We had a wonderful time. We started dating pretty steady. When we didn't go out every night, we talked on the phone. We did many different things on our dates. We went to dances, we went on hikes, we played games, we went to Pineview Reservoir, and we got to know each other. I knew he was meant for me. He was always so kind and gentle. He was a member of the church but he wasn't active. We decided to get married civilly in April.

I was 18 years old, so I could go to get the marriage license alone. Claude was 20 so he had to have his mother go with him to let them know she gave her consent. We got married April 26, 1951, in my parents' home. We lead a wonderful life together for 59 years. We have 8 beautiful children that we love very much.
--Joyce

Wolf Creek

I remember one time the whole family went jet skiing. My mom and I were on the jetski, and I was driving. I took a way too sharp turn, and we were both dumped off. We laughed our heads off. I remember eating lots of candy and drinks because we stayed a really long time at the beach. I remember going on a jet ski with me, Jared and Trevor, and another time with me, Brandon and Trevor. When Brandon was driving he made us all fall off. When I was driving Brandon fell off. I guess we need more practice driving. Thanks for inviting us to go to Wolf Creek. I love Grandpa.
--Kason

Don't Eat Pete

I remember playing “Don’t Eat Pete” after having family night with them. Trevor, me, Reagan, and Kason had to have an assigned order when we played “Don’t Eat Pete,” so we wouldn’t fight. I loved the M&Ms then, and I still love them. I love you Grandpa! The end.
--Mallory

Part of the Family

Happy 80th Birthday Claude! The memories I have of being in the Mills’ family involve both Claude and Joyce, so here goes. One memory that stands out in my mind is shortly after Brian and I got engaged, they invited me and my parents out to dinner to talk about our wedding plans. We went to the Mandarin and it was delicious, but what impressed me most was the concern I felt from them that we have the nicest wedding possible while staying within our budget. We had a wonderful wedding! I love thinking back on that day. I appreciate all the support and love that I have received from them from the time we met until now.

I have loved spending time with the family. I love the family dinners. They give us a chance to visit with each other monthly and stay in touch with each other. I love the waffles! Even though I make them now myself, they don’t taste as good as Joyce’s. I loved having family night with them. It was nice to have them both one on one with just our family occasionally. I enjoyed going on all the Labor Day vacations, and our whole family looks forward to our time at Wolf Creek.

I appreciate their love and support of my kids. I love them both very much! I love Brian with all my heart, and I’m so glad that I have had the opportunity to be his wife and to be a member of the Mills family.
--Kathy

Christmas Eve

Happy Birthday Grandpa! My favorite memory is having Grandpa and Grandma come to dinner at our house on Christmas Eve. I like eating dinner with them, reading Christmas stories, and modeling my cute new pajamas.

I like coming to their house for the family dinners where I can play with all my cute cousins. My favorite part is the ice cream and cake! I love Grandpa!
--Reagan

Grandpa's Love

I can remember from an early age when I was growing up, that Grandpa loves to tell stories. We were always over to see everyone since we lived close by. He always talked about growing up with his siblings and he talked about how much he loved his parents. I remember him always commenting on how much he loved grandma and his kids and grandkids. Although it has been 11 yrs since I have seen him, I still remember that he looks the same only more white hair and same smile.

--Christy