THOMASTON — George M. Mills, 87, died May 30, 2013, at Windward Gardens in Camden after a long period of declining health.

Born on Mount Desert Island July 19, 1925, he was the son of George E. and Flora Benson Mills. He grew up on the St. George peninsula, where he attended local schools.

As a teenager, George apprenticed in a Rockland machine shop. He later worked in Boston and then at Whitin Machine Works in Whitinsville, Mass., where he became a tool and die maker.

While working at Whitin Machine, he met Margaret Ann Rice. The couple was married April 14, 1951, in Whitinsville, where they raised their family. They spent many happy times camping together as a family. In addition to his work as a machinist, he also ran a trash hauling business,  G&M Trucking, with his brother-in-law. George later worked at Mid-State Machine Company in Milford, Mass.

In 1983 he moved back to coastal Maine, working until his retirement at Knox Machine Company in Warren. This move afforded the Mills family the opportunity to spend more time at their family property at Long Cove in St. George. Since purchasing that property in 1963, it was a place of refuge for George and his family. In the early 1970s, with assistance from his brother-in-law, Bob Mitchell, he was pleased to build a camp on that property.

An accomplished wood worker, many of the pieces he crafted are now considered family treasures.

George was pre-deceased by his beloved wife, Margaret, in 2009; and his sister, Kathleen. He is survived by one son, Stephen J. Mills of Kansas; two daughters, Karen M. Mills of Warren and Susan J. Mills of Thomaston; a sister, Mary Mitchell of Thomaston; a brother, John Mills of Oregon; two grandsons, Aaron and Tyler Mills of Kansas; as well as several nieces and nephews.

A graveside funeral service will be held Thursday, June 6, at 10 a.m. at Village Cemetery in Thomaston. The Rev. Wayne Sawyer will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County, P.O. Box 1294, Rockland, ME 04841.

To share a memory or condolence with the Mills family, visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home in Rockland.