Elaine “Aunt Laine” Mills, 53, of Murphy died Tuesday, June 1, 2004 in a Murphy hospital after a brief illness. A native and lifetime resident of Cherokee County, she was a 1968 graduate of Murphy High School and a 2001 graduate of Tri-County Community College receiving an associate degree in office system technology. She was employed by McKeever, Edwards, Davis, & Hays Law Firm. Elaine was vice-president of the Hanging Dog Volunteer Fire Department and former leader of Hanging Dog Modern Woodmen Club and Extension Homemakers. She was a member of the Boiling Springs Baptist Church where she served as a Sunday School teacher, AWANA teacher, choir member, and Bible School director.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth James Mills, who died July 25, 1994; her maternal grandparents, Ernest and Bertha Kephart; her paternal grandparents, Will and Lillian Mintz; and three great nephews, Brandon, Andrew, and Jonathan Mintz.

Surviving are her mother, Virginia Kephart Mintz of Murphy; a sister, Fran Dockery and her husband, Ken of Murphy; three brothers, Bill Mintz and his wife, Diane of Andrews, Larry Mintz and his wife, Carolyn and Lonnie Mintz and his wife, Hilda all of Murphy; ten nieces, Karen Lane and Angie Postell and her husband, Norman all of Andrews, Kathy Swanson and her husband, Tommy of Asheville, Amanda Mashburn and her husband, David, Chandra Dockery, Beth Decker and her husband, Travis, Phoebe Hedden, Helen Hamilton, Margaret Hurlburt, and Angie Mills all of Murphy; three nephews, David Mintz and his wife, Tina of Blue Ridge, GA, and Charlie Sims and Vinson Sims both of Murphy; two sisters-in-law, Ruby Sims of Murphy and Mary Lou Chambers and her husband, Ervin of Cornelia, GA; and nine great-nieces and four great- nephews.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 AM Friday, June 4 in the Boiling Springs Baptist Church with Rev. Eddis Dockery officiating. Burial was in the Owl Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. Pallbearers were J.B. Reeves, Micah Reeves, Mark Farmer, Lee Roy Dockery, Steve Allen, and Howard Mingus. Members of the Hanging Dog Volunteer Fire Department served as honorary pallbearers.

The family received friends from 6:00-8:00 Thursday evening at the Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy where the body was until placed in the church 30 minutes prior to the services.

The family requests memorials be made to the Gideons International, P.O. Box 624, Murphy, NC 28906.

Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy in charge of all arrangements.