Good morning. I am Michael Mills, a friend of the family.
Michael Prewitt was a devoted husband to Maureen and wonderful father to his three talented children of whom he was so proud. We raised our families here in Hopewell and in this church for almost 30 years. We celebrated many of the milestones of our lives together. Michael’s son Chris is our God child.
Michael was at various times my colleague, my client, my running partner, my golf partner, my kid’s scout leader, my healer, my spiritual advisor, and through it all, my dear friend. For my part this morning, I would like to talk about his work with the scouts here at our church.
He was himself an Eagle Scout, and thought it sad that there was no active Boy Scout Troup in Hopewell when our boys were approaching scouting age. So he took it upon himself and petitioned to reconstitute Hopewell Troup 71 at Hopewell Presbyterian Church. He was of course successful, as with most things to which he set his mind. With the assistance of interested parents, he organized an active Cub Scout and then Boy Scout Troup. We did all the usual but important activities like the pine wood derby in Fellowship Hall and working on merit badges. But Michael also had a vision for what the scout experience could be. He took us camping to Yards Creek Scout Camp in the Delaware Water Gap, and later to Camp Yahgoo in Rhode Island. We went canoeing on the Delaware River. We camped at Colonial Williamsburg and attended Sunday services in uniform at Christ Church in Williamsburg. We toured a navy ship at the Norfolk naval base. And we did a winter ski trip to his beloved Silver Bay in Lake George, NY.
These are some of the most precious memories that I have with my family and they are still milestones for them as well as me. It was a blessing that Michael and I were able to relive those experiences during a canoe excursion on Lake Champlain about a month before he was diagnosed almost two years ago.
Troup 71 has continued to develop the character of young men, and has produced many Eagle Scouts since Michael handed the reins over to its next generation of leaders. But it was Michael who re- started it, and Troop 71 remains one of his many legacies to us in this community.
One other brief story: Michael had the largest personal library I have ever seen, and he was one of the most well-read people I have known. But he was so humble about it: it was just a part of who he was. He could easily find common ground in the writings of St. Paul, Wendell Berry, Robert Frost, and Steve Martin. His encyclopedic knowledge served him well through his creative work at DANA Productions and his ministry at Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Montgomery Ministries, and at Cumberland Presbyterian in Rhode Island.
He bore his illness with amazing courage, grace, and a positive attitude that never failed him. I did not hear him once complain, although he had a perfect right to. He always said that he felt protected in God’s hands. When I last visited him, he slept with a smile on his face.
It would be presumptuous of me to claim him as my best friend, because he made so many special connections with the people in his life. However, I can say that he had and will continue
to have a profound effect on my life. He was an amazing friend to me, and I will always be grateful for his counsel and example.
I love him and miss him, but he gave me the hope and assurance that I will see him again in an even better place.