Mills, a Republican who served on the board from 1995 to 1999, was also a former Nebraska football player during the glory years of the early 1970s. Mills, a real estate broker by trade, wrote several community pieces for The World-Herald, including one about the need for politicians to meet in the middle.

“There is no public policy decision that is simply black and white,” Mills wrote. “Negotiating in the spirit of collaboration produces compromises that form the backbone of good decision-making and are often left out of the process today.”

One example of a successful compromise occurred during county board discussions on how to develop the land occupied by the former Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum and horse track, he wrote. Ak-Sar-Ben racetrack was closed in 1995, and the arena in 2002. The land was donated to Douglas County.

“As an elected official, I know firsthand the benefits of meeting the other side in the middle to get something done,” Mills wrote. “To the surprise of many horse racing fans, we sold a failing horse track to a non-profit society. Today, Aksarben Village is a vibrant development. “The county board made concessions and collaborated with local business leaders, and the results speak for themselves.”

Mills, 71, died Nov. 1 while in a nursing home in Omaha. Friday at 11 a.m. at 4810 Woolworth Ave. A mass funeral will be celebrated at Holy Cross Catholic Church, . He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Diane; sons Aaron, Michael and Adam Mills; brother Dave; and his sister, Kimberly Mills Begley, all of Omaha, and his five grandchildren.

Mills grew up in South Omaha and attended St. Louis near 24th and Poppleton. He attended St. Ann’s Catholic Primary School. He graduated from the now-closed Archbishop Ryan Catholic High School in 1971 and earned a football scholarship to the University of Nebraska.

He played defensive tackle from 1971 to 1975 under coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. Mills earned a bachelor’s degree from Nebraska and a master’s degree in urban studies from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Mills built a strong reputation selling downtown real estate. His community-first approach to selling real estate meant he was less concerned with profit and more with ensuring good people found affordable housing to build their lives, his family said.

“We’ve had a lot of people reach out to us, overwhelmingly former customers,” Aaron Mills said Tuesday. “There are a lot of people who appreciate his help when searching for homes.”

Mills also wrote two books about his time as an athlete at Nebraska: “Go Big Red!” in 1991 and “A View from the Bench” in 2004. He also partnered with Don Winslow to write the screenplay for the movie “Full Ride,” released in 2002.

Writing was his passion, his family said, and he was a regular contributor to Public Pulse in addition to his columns. His last article in the newspaper was published in January this year.

In February 2018, his right leg was amputated below the knee as a result of Charcot disease, also called Charcot arthropathy. It’s a degenerative condition that means he must learn to walk with a prosthetic lower leg.

Aaron Mills said his father aims to be able to dance at his middle son Michael’s wedding in 2019.

“I remember watching in awe because my dad could dance and it was so amazing,” Aaron Mills said. “She had set the goal of dancing as part of her recovery process. “This was a great example of his courage and determination.”