MARYVILLE, Tenn. — On Wednesday, a Maryville man was found dead less than a week before Christmas. He was a husband, father, and a beloved retired teacher who welcomed thousands into his classroom.
His son was charged with fatally stabbing him. Now, friends and family are remembering David Anthony Mills, otherwise known as Tony, as a person with an enduring smile and who formed friendships with many of his students.
"I mean, look at his photos. You know, the guy never looks like he has an off day. He's always happy. He's always smiling. I mean, he grins from ear to ear," said Neil Crye, a former student of his. "I would be willing to be that there wasn't a student out there that ever said they had a bad relationship with Mr. Mills."
He taught in Blount County for more than 30 years and was Crye's teacher in the sixth and seventh grades.
"It'll be hard with him gone. I mean it, there'll be a void there that will never be filled," he said.
A former coworker also said he put his students first, dedicating himself to helping them both inside the classroom and outside of it.
"Always the wellbeing or the self-worth of each student was his most important thing," said Larry Headrick, his colleague and friend. "If you were talking to Tony in the hallways and the classes changed, and the kids came out, the other adults were invisible. They wanted to go talk to Mr. Mills."
He said alongside usual lessons, Mills also made sure his students learned lasting life lessons.
"It's all the attributes that, you know, as a man you want to strive to be. Just a genuine person that truly cares about his neighbor, just to the umpteenth degree, just a wonderful human," said Crye.
He was also described as a pillar of the community who would not soon be forgotten.
"I fully expect the green ribbons, to see them on mailboxes a year from now. Just because he'll have that big of an impact, that far-reaching. His memory will be far from forgotten, for years and years to come," said Crye.
A celebration of life for Tony is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School gymnasium, according to his obituary.