Retirement meant taking his valentine on the road

By STEPHANIE HAYES
Published July 12, 2007

In 1989, Bill and Bunny Mills bought a 38-foot motor home with a queen-size bed and a satellite dish. They hitched a Toyota Camry to the back. Then they drove all over the United States until they settled in Hudson, together.
	[Handout photo]

HUDSON -- Bill Mills lived a lonesome childhood, with no father or siblings.

He grew into a white-collar fellow. His shirts hung 1 inch apart in the closet. He organized socks by color.

He married twice and had kids. Neither marriage lasted.

Then, he met her.

It was 1976. Bill worked as an IBM computer engineer.

Bunny Lutter was a punch card operator. She was divorced, too, not looking for a boyfriend.

But Bill flirted. The girls in the office, Bunny said, giggled at his advances.

On Valentine's Day, she said, he left her a 25-cent box of Brach's chocolate, and a handwritten note.

Will you be my valentine?

They married four months later.

Bill was short on patience. Bunny was calm.

Bill had trouble trusting. Bunny showed him how.

Bunny told Bill he could do anything.

Bill took up motorcycle riding and got his pilot's license. He didn't fly many places, but earning the license made him feel accomplished.

His dream was to retire and hit the road. In 1989, Bill and Bunny bought a 38-foot motor home with a queen-size bed and a satellite dish. They hitched a Toyota Camry to the back.

They drove to Mexico and ate authentic food on the beach. In California's wine country, they picked apricots off the tree.

Bill worked seasonally at a Minnesota resort, taking guests on moose calling trips and scavenger hunts. He learned every mushroom, every tree.

The RV was bound for the Florida Keys when Bunny learned she had kidney disease. Doctors ordered the motor coach lifestyle to stop. They settled in Hudson in northwest Pasco. If she had gotten sick in Texas or Illinois, they would have stopped there.

Years later, Bill developed pulmonary fibrosis, a brutal lung disease.

His wanderlust didn't fade.

Last year, Bill and Bunny vacationed in the Florida Keys.

Bill rented a scooter and threw his oxygen tank in the basket. Bunny hopped on, and they sped down Duval Street, gray hair blowing behind.

At home, his health declined. He used the Internet to explore the world.

He didn't want to leave Bunny.

This Valentine's Day, just like every year, he gave her a gift -- a tiny box of Brach's chocolate.

Bill died Sunday at age 72.

Stephanie Hayes can be reached at shayes@sptimes.com or (813) 893-8857.

BIOGRAPHY: Bill Mills
Born: Jan. 31, 1935
Died: July 8, 2007
Survivors: A wife, Bunny Mills; children, Bill Jr., Debbie, Julie, David, Donna, Cathy; and nine grandchildren. Preceded in death by a daughter, Dina
Memorial donations: Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, 60 Voyageurs Point, Grand Marais, MN 55604

[Last modified July 11, 2007, 23:17:12]