Larry D. Mills Jr., 77, died on May 30, 2024, at St. David’s Hospital in Georgetown.
Services will be held at First Baptist Church in Lampasas on June 15 at 11 a.m., with visitation an hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Sneed-Carnley Funeral Chapel has charge of arrangements.
Larry was born on Aug. 9, 1946, in Amarillo to Lawrence and Ruth Harris Mills. He grew up in Amarillo.
He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1964. He attended West Texas State University in Canyon, where he received a Bachelor of Science.
Larry began work as an insurance adjuster in Decatur, where he worked for seven years. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Decatur when he was called into ministry.
He graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1983 with a Master of Religious Education. He was ordained in 1985 and officially retired in 2010, but he continued to serve and volunteer up until his death.
Larry served as senior pastor, interim pastor and youth minister in several churches across Texas: Buchanan Street Chapel, Amarillo; Duffau Baptist Church, Hico; Clairette Baptist Church, Hico; Round Grove Baptist Church, Dublin; Lingleville Baptist Church, Lingleville; Riverside Baptist Church, Stephenville; and Bluff Dale Baptist Church, Bluff Dale. He retired from preaching at Buchanan Street Chapel, a mission of First Baptist Church Amarillo.
While leading Buchanan he oversaw many community outreach programs such as a food pantry, clothing closet and the Christian Men and Women’s Job Corps. Larry also was involved with the Southern Baptist Convention and local SBC associations.
Larry married Rita LaVelle Harper in 1968 in Wellington. They were married for 56 years.
Larry was a member of First Baptist Church in Lampasas. He lived to serve the Lord and His message. For over 40 years he preached a message based on the love of God and how it is available to all. He also looked for ways to help each church he served to celebrate who they were and what they could become. He will be remembered for his love for God, his love of people and his one-liners.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents.
Survivors include his spouse, Rita LaVelle Mills of Lampasas; daughter, Rebecca and spouse Bryan Oaks of Lampasas; son, Timothy Mills of Portland, Oregon; brother, Jimmy and spouse Susan Mills of Bellevue, Washington; grandchildren Ethan Oakes, Hadassah Mills and Jude Mills; niece, Jennifer Mills; and nephew, Wade Mills.
