October 6, 1932-November 24, 2022
Frank Fetzer Mills died at the Cyprus of Charlotte of heart disease on Thanksgiving morning. He was born in Wadesboro, NC, on October 6, 1932, the youngest of four children born to Fred Moore and Zeta Fetzer Mills. Fetzer embraced life in Anson County, splitting his time as a child between his home in Wadesboro and the family peach farm in Lilesville.
He graduated from Wadesboro High School in 1950 and briefly attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining the U.S. Air Force where he served as an Airborne radio operator. After he completed his service, he returned to UNC where he attended law school and met Penny Martin, a Duke undergraduate who lived in Chapel Hill.
The two were married in 1959 and they returned to Wadesboro with their son after Fetzer completed his law degree. He practiced law in Wadesboro and the couple had three more sons.
In 1967, Fetzer was appointed County Judge and, in 1968, was elected District Court Judge in the newly revised judicial system and he became the youngest Chief District Court Judge in the state. In 1977, Governor Jim Hunt appointed him to the Superior Court where he served until his retirement in 1994. He continued to serve as a Special Judge for several more years.
After his retirement, he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his service to the state of North Carolina.
Fetzer served as head of the William A. Smith Trust and on the boards and committees of numerous other foundations and organizations in Anson County. He was deeply committed to Calvary Episcopal Church where he served on the vestry and as a lay reader throughout his life.
While Fetzer made the law his career, gardening was his passion. He called himself a “frustrated farmer” and grew enough vegetables, especially tomatoes and collards, to prove it. He also loved to root plants and kept a thriving greenhouse. He and Penny had annual gatherings to celebrate the blooming of their Voodoo Lily.
Fetzer loved watching birds and their yard was like an aviary with feeders, houses, and baths. He watched generations of blue birds through a camera positioned in a bird house.
He kept a fire burning every day throughout the winter, cutting and splitting his own firewood until he was in his 60s. His sons grew up loading and unloading pickups full of oak and hickory.
Fetzer often said Wadesboro was the greatest place to live in the world, but he loved the beaches of North Carolina. He was happiest sitting on the deck of his house at Holden Beach surrounded by Penny, their sons, and grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Penny, his sister Lomie Lou Mills Cooke, his sons Fetzer (Becky), Thomas, and Smithson (Kathy), his grandchildren Jasper (Charlie) Qvist, Sophie Mills, Duncan Mills, Lucy Mills, and Atticus Mills, and his great-grandson Holden Qvist. He was predeceased by his son, Eddie.
A memorial service will be held at Calvary Episcopal Church in Wadesboro, NC, on Wednesday, November 30, at 11:30am. A reception will follow the service.
The family appreciates donations to Calvary Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 942, Wadesboro, NC 28170, or Anson County Historical Society, 206 East Wade St., Wadesboro, NC 28170, or Anson County Arts Council, 110 S Rutherford St, Wadesboro, NC 28170.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
So very sorry about the loss of your dad. What a man—what a life he lived! Now I realize why you are such a special man who constantly defends the rights of all. My condolences.
Betsy Wells
CLeveland County
Beautiful tribute to your dad, Thomas. Our condolences Karin and Mark Griffiths
That was a great tribute to a life well-lived. Condolences to you and your entire family.
My condolences Tom!
Reading the comments, it is easy to see the character of a man well regarded by his peers, family, and friends. He lives on in those memories of those who respected and cherished him.
I am truly sorry for your loss. Peace be upon you always.
You have caught the essence of your Dad, a respected judge and a good man. In these troubling times, it is particularly painful to lose one who understood what being a judge is truly about and how to conduct the responsibilities of the office in a truly fair and impartial manner. Condolences to your Mom, Penny, to you and all others in Fetzer’s extended family, and to us in this significant loss.
An incredible life lived and a legacy that endures through a wonderful family. Thanks for sharing this lovely tribute Thomas. Godspeed to you and your family.
Mrs. Mills and family, I am saddened by the passing of Judge Mills. May he Rest In Peace and may his name and the stories of good times with him be forever in your hearts and on your lips.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Thomas, I am so sorry for your loss. Your father was a wonderful person, a great jurist and a mentor to other judges. My condolences to all of your family and especially to your mother.
Well written, befitting a man of honor
My condolences, Tom.
Well said, a life fully lived! Deepest condolences to Penny, Fetzer, Thomas, Smithson, and the entire Mills family.
Thomas, What a wonderful tribute to your father. I did not know your him, but his spirit and good works (and looks) are evident in you! I am sure he was immensely proud of you.
Very sorry for your loss.
Thomas, you and your family are in my prayers. Your Dad truly was awesome — and he was much beloved and admired by everyone who knew him, including the lawyers (like me) and judges from the region who witnessed his professionalism and integrity and wit. I remember first meeting him long ago with my father, Craig, an Anson County native himself and contemporary, and later with then-Sheriff RW Goodman and attorney Buck Kitchin, both of whom have long since passed on. We all know your Dad loved his family dearly. May the memories you have of him give you comfort not only as you grieve but especially in the years ahead, my friend.
My thoughts are with you and your family.
So sorry for you loss, Thomas. Every time I read an obituary of someone I didn’t know, I find myself wishing I had known them. Your dad sounds like a pretty neat fellow. The pain will subside!
He was a mighty fine man. Sorry for your loss.
Your dad was a wonderful man. My sympathies!
An admirable life! My condolences to your family.
I am so sorry for your loss, Thomas. I remember the respect and affection with which you spoke about your father. He was an example of a good life, the importance of character and morality in our civic life and what a public servant should be.
Mills family,
We all mourn the loss of an incredible jurist, public servant and community icon.
Those of us lucky enough to know him will celebrate his life and contributions as a treasured leader and human being.
Judge Mills and his family make us all proud to be Ansonians.
His work and morals will live forever by teaching our children in his examples of values.
With respect, admiration, profound loss and grace;
Barb and Pryor Gibson
So, so sorry for your loss. Please take a bit of comfort that you and Politics NC are a stellar part of your father’s legacy.
What a great life he had, Thomas. All the best to your family.
And from this judge’s son as well. Your dad and mine served on the Superior Court together in the late 1970s, before my own father entered the federal courts in 1980. Dad enjoyed working with Judge Mills and thought a lot of him. You have my deepest condolences.
I’m very sorry for your family’s loss. Well-written tribute to a public servant. Condolences from another judge’s son.
A valued citizen who offered a compelling example of the meaning and impact of a life well-lived.
Truly a life well-lived.
Sympathy to the Mills family.
I am so very sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss. He lived a great life and we are better for him.
A valued citizen and a compelling example of a life well-lived.
I greatly admired Judge Mills. He served us all well
What a wonderful reflection on a life well lived! Condolences to all of the Mills Family.
Condolences to All the Mills Family.
Such a beautiful tribute to the Judge! I’m so sorry for your loss, Thomas.