Stewart C Mills Jr, Co-Founder of Fleet Farm, Passes Away

(KDLM) – Stewart C Mills Jr, who co-founded Mills Fleet Farm with his brother in 1955, passed away at the age of 93 last Friday, according to a statement from the Mills Automotive Group.

Mills Jr and his twin brother Henry Mills opened the first Mills Fleet Farm store in Brainerd in 1955. Between 1955 and 2016, he helped open 36 more locations across the midwest. In addition to Fleet Farm, Mills Jr ran Mills Automotive Group, which his father began in 1922.

Mills’ obituary says that he ‘passionately ran his Mills Fleet Farm stores and business with great leadership and care for his team members and customers.’

Mills was also a proud veteran, serving his country as a member of the 194th Tank Battalion, and was a Minnesota National Guard member before enlisting in the US Army and serving until 1959. He graduated from the US Army Adjutant General School, was selected to represent enlisted men at the official lighting of the Christmas Tree by President Harry Truman at the nation’s capital, and was an Army Drill Instructor in Fort Riley, KS. He also was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany for 2 years directly serving a Two-Star General. Mills was a passionate patriot who believed strongly in honoring veterans.