How can I describe Pop?  Well, I always said he
was granny's brother from the Beverly Hillbillies. If you were ever down all you had to do was go and visit Pop!  If he couldn't make you smile then you  were in real trouble.  A smile was always on his face no  matter how tired he was. He would grin without a tooth in his head.  His red hair had turned to gray what was left of it.  But he had the clearest blue eyes that were full of love, kindness and mischievous.  He would be out cutting grass at the age of 84 years old.  Until the Dr told him no more grass cutting for you Mr. Millis.  He walked  hundreds of miles a week, and had been doing it ever since his model-T broke down.  After that the children came and he never could afford another car, so he walked and worked two jobs.  Eight children came year after year until Grandma told him to sleep with the boys.  I can still  hear him saying to my husband "son she ought not done  me that way".  He loved his children, my husband told   me of a time they all went fishing and rode bikes to the sound.  Pop went from one side of the road to  the other on a rickety bike with dogs nipping at his  heels.  Another time when a rat ran up his britches  leg, "said it could have done some damage up there."  Told about when a bear chased him up a tree, and  eating possum. And a time his brother shot a revenuer, when they made moonshine.  So many stories I would never get through all of them.  He had a love for life.  One of them was his lawn mowers.  My husband  took him to a class  at a local college years ago and they enjoyed it.  He loved wrestling, boy there was more of show going on where he sat, than in the ring.  He wanted to get right in there with them.  Pop never met a stranger, sometimes he would embarrass whoever had to take him to the Dr. he didn't care what he said, old age was kicking in.  He cussed like a  sailor but meant no harm.  He was one of the funniest men I knew.  And talk about women oh, boy.  He was in the hospital one time with pneumonia at the age of 78, the nurse had to pat him to break up the pneumonia, so he told her to pat a little lower he wasn't as old as he looked.  You had to be there.  He really wasn't a dirty old man, just cute.  If you got him tap dancing and blowing the harmonica you were in for a real treat.  He loved to have his picture taken, he would stand straight up and with a big grin on his face with gums shining.  Don't let him know you were recording him with camcorder. He would just stare into the camera.  We have some priceless videos. Yes my father-in-law was one of a kind. I would not have replaced him for all the money in the world.  He still brings a smile to my face when I think of him.  Dedicated to Harlee Millis
October 7, 1911 - July 4, 1996  
by Amelia Anne 1999