The funeral of my life long friend Greg Mills

Greg Mills was a decorated Hamilton Police Officer who died tragically this past week.

Greg was beloved by thousands in the community, including myself, a friend of almost 50 years. My name is John van Loon, and I have started this fundraiser in support of his sole surviving sister Alyson who is dealing with the loss of her only sibling while needing to handle the funeral and estate matters.

Greg’s death was mental health related. Although there is plenty of rhetoric surrounding support for mental health, if a Police Officer dies in this manner, the financial support diminishes from $20000 to $5000. Had Greg died in the line of duty, $20,000 from the police force would have been provided to the family to relieve them of the financial burden of arranging for Greg’s funeral. As Greg’s death was mental health related, this drops down to only $5,000. The realities of the funeral, burial and legal fees are that the total cost is expected to be over $35,000. This is leaving the family with a major shortfall. We are hopeful these policies change in the future and catch up to the progressive dialogue we are having today surrounding mental health. For now, though, this is the financial reality the family is facing, and we are asking for your help.

Should we be so fortunate that people’s generosity exceeds our target, we will, transparently on this page, share details of charitable donations or annuity to distribute any excess funds. Most likely, we will look to donate to causes supporting Officers and Mental Health, and/or to the Canusa Games, an athletic event that Greg invested years of his time and was near and dear to his heart.

Greg was a true friend and his death has shocked and saddened us all. He never backed down from helping people even as he himself needed help. Greg enjoyed talking with people and we will miss his ability to bring laughter and positivity to share with everyone.

Greg served as a police officer for 20 years. He worked on many units including frontline patrol, criminal investigations, Mounted patrol, and as an instructor at the Ontario Police College.Throughout his career as a dedicated police officer, Greg crossed paths with countless individuals and formed many friendships along the way.

Outside of work Greg volunteered his time coaching and mentoring athletes at all levels as well as being a part of the CANUSA games coaching and administration. Greg put in a lot of energy and got a lot of fulfillment from helping developing athletes become both better athletes and outstanding people.

To reiterate, this GoFundMe will be used initially to cover the funeral and death related costs which Alyson has to bear. Any funds collected above the actual fundraising target will be donated to charities and causes to be determined. All funds will be managed responsibly and transparently. We understand that times can be tough but any contribution, big or small, will make a difference in alleviating the financial burden on Alyson during this period of grieving.

If you could also kindly share this GoFundMe with your friends and family who may wish to offer their support, it would mean a great deal to Alyson and her family as well as every one of us who were Greg’s friends.

Thankyou for your generosity and support through this truly hard and difficult process.

John