Alexander Wesley Mille

Alexander Wesley Mille, 93, of El Paso Arkansas went to be with the Lord, August 27, 2021. He was born on June 22, 1928 in Ellsworth, Maine to the late Alexander Mille and Anna Belle Schauman Mille.

In 1945 at the age of seventeen, with the permission of his father and mother, Alex signed up for military service at the height of World War II. He became an airplane mechanic for the Marine Night Fighters Unit. His unit was also preparing for the next phase of the war:  the invasion of Japan.  Alex’s unit would have been first on the list to invade Japan’s beaches had President Harry S. Truman not dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. In 1949, at the age of 21, Alex was discharged with honors from the United States Marine Corps as a Staff Sergeant and went to college on the GI Bill. While attending the University of Miami and working part-time at a golf range, Alex met the love of his life, Eleanor Thurston Morgan of Miami, Florida, when she hit him in the back side with a golf ball. This event was the start of a deeply loyal and loving friendship and marriage lasting 69 years.

After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Alex began his business career as a Union Representative for the Iron Workers in Miami, Florida.  In 1962, the family of 4 moved to Belleville, Illinois where Alex began his career as a Federal Mediator for the United States Government, facilitating union labor disputes between companies and union members.  In 1963, Alex took the position of Federal Mediator in Little Rock, Arkansas. He had visited Arkansas earlier with a friend and fell in love with the beauty of the state. As a Federal Mediator, Alex traveled the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, facilitating disputes at furniture, lumber, mining, and even a few farming companies. Alex loved being a mediator, and he had the uncanny ability to remain impartial with both parties to come to the fairest decisions. Alex would often visit both the work sites and corporate offices. He would talk to laborers and company managers, asking to see the dispute in question. This would take Alex around factory machinery, production lines, and even down into the mines to make sure he had a complete understanding of the dispute. Alex was a Federal Mediator for 30 years, and he made many friends and colleagues along the way. He was a member of Grace Presbyterian Church in Little Rock Arkansas. He was also a member of the American Legion Chapter 91. He was a fierce friend to all he met and those with whom he served, attending all Marine Night Fighter reunions he could and donating to his local VA and Wounded Warrior programs.

Alex and Eleanor remained in Little Rock until 1993, raising five children and enjoying their time with their grandchildren. When Alex retired as a Federal Mediator and Eleanor retired as the Director of SCAN (Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect), they moved to their farm in El Paso, Arkansas and focused on conservation, hobbies, and visiting friends and family. They split their time between the farm in El Paso and Alex’s beloved home state of Maine. In Maine, Alex would volunteer at the local Salmon Conservatory and support all the local businesses. Alex and Eleanor enjoyed picnics on the beaches, wild blueberry picking, and drives along the coast to watch the leaves change colors. When family and friends came to visit the A&E B&B (Alexander & Eleanor Bed & Breakfast), Alex served as the un-official Maine tour guide.  In El Paso, Alex was always ready to impart his advice and wisdom to all his grandchildren or take them on rides around the farm on the electric mule, the riding lawn mower, or the tractor. He also loved finding new hobbies, including stained glass making, wood carving, farming, gardening, and tinkering in his shops.

Alex leaves behind to cherish his memory his loving wife of 69 years, Eleanor Thurston Morgan O’Rourke Mille of El Paso Arkansas; sister Thelma Irene Hanson and her late husband Howard of Enfield, Connecticut; daughter Donna Mille Williams and husband Whit of Oakland, Tennessee; son David Alexander Mille of Lebanon Tennessee; daughter Carol Elaine Mahan of Biloxi, Mississippi; daughter Sallie Ann Pursell and husband Bruce of Beebe, Arkansas; daughter Karen Elizabeth Mille of Little Rock, Arkansas. His loving grandchildren include; Elise Addington Dugger, husband Nate, and great granddaughter Joy Marie of Nashville, Tennessee; grandson  Milton Alexander Addington, M.D. and  Amanda Box, M.D. of Memphis Tennessee; granddaughter Alycia Anne Bradley, husband Shane and great grandchildren Gavin and Hadley Pratt, and Paul Alexander Russell of Conway, Arkansas; granddaughter Kara Leigh West and husband Hunter of Bald Knob, Arkansas; grandson Ryan Lewis Mahan, wife Mandy and great grandson Sigurd Lewis Mahan of D’iberville, Mississippi; grandson William Brandon Pursell, wife Sheri and great grandson William Brayson of Beebe, Arkansas; granddaughter Ashley Elizabeth Pursell of Little Rock, Arkansas; grandson Matthew Morgan Pursell and Natalie Rucciulli of Miami, Florida; and grandsons Henry Maximillian and Liam Charles Japeth Johnson of Little Rock, Arkansas. Honorary children include Duddy Swann Jr., the late Doug Swann, and Stephanie Swann. As well as many other loving cousins, nieces, nephews and friends who will miss him always.

A celebration of Alex’s life will be held at Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe, Arkansas on September 2, 2021 at 6pm (visitation) and 7pm (service). In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be sent to the First Presbyterian Church of Beebe, Arkansas.