Who was John Mills in the PGA?
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hearts are heavy after loved ones said goodbye during a celebration of life for 69-year-old John Mills.
He was the worker at the PGA Championship who died last week after he was hit and killed by a shuttle bus outside of the Valhalla Golf Club.
Heather Ewing is a behavior analyst at the Bluegrass Center for Austism. She and others miss seeing Mills working around the halls and in different rooms at the center.
She said it feels strange and different that he’s not here anymore.
“John was a super-nice guy. He was always super-friendly whenever you would pass him in the hallway or if you were letting him into the building or something like that. He was always super-friendly, happy to be here,” Ewing said.
Mills worked at the Bluegrass Center for Autism for almost two months. He worked on a project-by-project basis. Mills performed maintenance projects across their three campuses. He did things like change doorknobs, replace light bulbs and patch up holes.
“Small things to bigger companies, but to our small company, those are huge things,” Ewing explained.
Sterling Franklin, Director of Development and Marketing at the center, says the Mills family named the Bluegrass Center for Autism as the recipient of any donations, instead of flowers. At least 40-50 donations have come in so far—adding up to around $2,000.
“We’re really overwhelmed by the amount of love that we feel, love for John that is being spread onto us now. It’s made a really big impact. We’ve even had people reach out, offering to pick up where John left off and volunteer their maintenance services, which has been really a blessing for us,” said Franklin.
A water bottle filling station was the last project Mills finished while at work. It was just installed last week. Now, it’s being used by everyone, especially clients.
“So, it’s got a really big impact on our organization. So, it’s really sweet that’s the last thing he did for us,” Franklin said.
Franklin said the Bluegrass Center plans to honor Mills and his last project by adding a plaque above the water fountain.
How did John Mills get hit?
Tragedy struck last Friday when 69-year-old John Mills, a dedicated security guard at the PGA Championship, was fatally struck by a shuttle bus outside the Valhalla Golf Club. The incident left the golfing community in shock. But the story doesn’t end there. Just an hour later, another twist unfolded: Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, was arrested by Louisville Metro Police for allegedly attempting to drive around the accident scene.
As the city mourns the loss of Mills, his family has made a heartfelt request. In lieu of traditional funeral flowers, they are urging friends, family, and well-wishers to contribute to a cause that was close to John’s heart: the Bluegrass Center for Autism.
The BCA, a nonprofit organization, provides individualized one-on-one treatment for children and young adults on the autism spectrum. “This morning when the obituary came out before noon, we had over $1,000 that had already been donated to BCA,” said Sterling Franklin, a spokesperson for the BCA.
Mills had been utilizing his maintenance skills during retirement to support the center. For six weeks leading up to his tragic death, he quietly worked on various maintenance projects across all three BCA campuses.
One such project was the installation of a brand-new water station. Unnoticed until Wednesday, a water fountain was upgraded to one of those modern units that conveniently fill up water bottles. “I came in, and our water fountain had been changed. We had kind of a broken water fountain that we used frequently. When I asked about it, they told me that John had just done this last week.”
Mills exemplified a life lived with a generous heart. His legacy now inspires others to follow suit. “We were just really grateful and blown away. What a wonderful way to commemorate someone’s life,” said Franklin.
If you’d like to honor Mills’ memory, consider making a donation to the Bluegrass Center for Autism. Click here to donate.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
What happened to John Mills Scottie Scheffler?
First, a man named John Mills, who was working security at the major tournament, was struck and killed by a bus while walking around outside the course on Shelbyville Road. Then, Scottie Scheffler was arrested after an incident the world’s top-ranked golfer described as “a big misunderstanding.”
17 de mai. de 2024