Christopher B. Mills, MD, 71, of North Caldwell, died on August 6, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. Relatives and friends are invited for visitation on Friday, August 9, 2019 from 3 pm through 8 pm at Shook’s Cedar Grove Funeral Home, 486 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. A Funeral Mass will be offered on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at 11 am at Notre Dame Church, 359 Central Avenue, North Caldwell, NJ 07006. A viewing will be held from 10 am through 11 am in the church prior to the Funeral Mass at 11 am. Condolences and memories may be shared at shookscedargrove.com. Dr. Mills was born in Morristown, raised in Bayonne, and spent summers at Lake Hopatcong. During his medical training, he lived in NYC and Chicago. He moved to Verona when he began his career, then finally settled in North Caldwell in 1981. He was a graduate of Rutgers University and NJ Medical School and completed his surgical training at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he stayed on staff and rose to the rank of Chairman of the Department of Surgery. In his affiliation with SVH, he held positions as chief of Surgical Nutrition, chairman of the Nutrition Committee, president of the medical staff and a member of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees. From 2008-2010, he was also a member of a team of researchers at SVH that performed pioneering work in the use of minimally invasive blood-based specimens for early detection of Pancreatic Cancer. When St. Vincent’s closed in 2010, Dr. Mills moved his surgical practice to Mount Sinai Beth Israel, where he was a breast surgeon and the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program Surgeon Champion. His reputation as a surgeon earned him top honors in New York Magazine and Castle Connolly Top Doctors from 2002 – 2014. Dr. Mills retired from active surgical practice on December 31, 2017. He was currently serving as a Trustee on the Board of Sisters of Charity Ministry Network. He served with distinction and utmost generosity. In his free time, Dr. Mills enjoyed gardening in 'Mills Park', building furniture, lamps and birdhouses, reading best sellers and spending quality time with his loving family. Pre-deceased by his parents, Clifford B. Mills and Beatrice Mills (nee Crisonino). He is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Diane D. Mills (nee Warfield); devoted children, Daria Napolitano and her husband Anthony, Christopher B. Mills, Jr., Daniel Mills and his wife Elena, Michael Mills and his partner Lisa, and James Mills and his partner Steven; cherished grandchildren, Lilliana, Alyssa, Abigail, Frank, and Kaitlyn; loving sister, Tina Mills; special niece Michelle Muldoon and her husband Christopher; caring great-nieces, Michaela and Gillian. Also surviving are a host of extended relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to support Dr. Angela Alistar's Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at The Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, 475 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960 Attention: Lisa Duff