text: August 2022 - Memorial Service for Pete Mills Surfing Legend Many surfers had come to Cocoa Beach to pay their respects to 82 year old Pete Mills who had died a couple of days earlier in his sleep. Pete was born in Cocoa Beach to surfing pioneer Peter Mills and mother Marion Mills. He graduated from Cocoa Beach High in 1958 and in 1961 married Barbara Donning. They had two daughters Cindy (Eric) Bolton and Jennifer (Jim) Williams. Barbara and Pete divorced in 1967 and remained on good terms. In 1972 Pete remarried to a woman named Louann Wilson. They had two sons, Brian (Tiffany) and Mark (Stephanie). Sadly in 2018, Louann died. Pete devoted his life to surfing and to the surfing community. He will be sorely missed. Pete was a grandfather to 7 grandchildren (Kaitlyn Bolton-String, Sara Bolton-Thomas, Hannah and Jonah Williams (twins), Tyler Mills, Justin Mills and Erica Bolton). He had two great-granddaughters Mia String and Jill Thomas. He is proceeded in death by his parents, his two older brothers, Melvin and Harry and his second wife Louann. Funeral services will be held on a beach per Pete's request early in the morning. His son in law Eric Bolton who is a Minister for the Surfing Community will do the service. My name is Eric Bolton. I mostly wrote the funeral announcement and everyone agreed with it. No one really noticed that I left the name of James Picken out. He was Cindy's first husband who died over 40 years ago. Most people except of course for the old timers remember the guy but they aren't thinking about him. I know as a minister this sounds terrible but I didn't shed a tear when he died. Cindy did of course but I didn't. Neither did her father. He was angry at how bad James had treated Cindy. James Pickens was murdered two weeks before the 4th of July in 1982. His mouth and his temper contributed to his death. He was high on drugs when he went surfing at night. There was a full moon that night, so he could see. Shortly after the full moon was at its heights, the weather changed and it started thundering and lightening. Don't ever surf at night. The next morning he was found dead on the beach from multiple-stab wounds. Police investigated the murder but never were able to pin it on anyone. Looked like it was someone who was angry that James owned them money. Pete wasn't surprised that James owed money and had heard that James had a gambling problem. He was surprised that someone killed him over it as the person isn't going to get the money now that James is dead. I heard Pete say this to the officer. James Pickens had no family. He was abandoned at birth at the Cocoa Beach Children's home as a baby. He left the Home when he was 13 and lived on the beach. When he had enough money to get a house he did. He was a good surfer but wasn't a good person. Cindy hoped to change that and tried to help him. All she got was verbal abuse (it was really bad towards the end) and he treated her with disrespect. The case of James Pickens has never been reopened. He is mostly forgotten as many of those who were at the police station back in the early 1980's are either deceased or retired. I know who murdered James. First I will say it wasn't me, although after he was so cruel and mean to Cindy, I wanted to do him in. In a way I'm indirect responsible for his murder as I went and took the money from the bookie that he owned money to and put it in a duffel bag. The storm was brief. During the storm, the bookie found the duffel bag outside with the money. They got into an argument. I nearly got hit by the lightening as I was hiding behind the bushes watching the argument from a window which was open. He was yelling for Cindy who had fled to her mom's house after James had punched her in the face. The bookie belittled him saying that she had come to her senses and left him. He responded by trying to hit the bookie in the face. The bookie took out a knife and chased him outside. From the lightening, I could see the bookie stabbing him. The bookie then took the duffel bag and ran off. James wasn't moving and I assumed he was dead. I know this is insane but I went into James's home and spent the night. I got out of there once daylight came. I saw him still lying there when I left. Since there had been a party the night before and I had been there, the fact that my fingerprints were there wouldn't implicate me. At the time I was a surfer and surfed for many years before becoming a minister. It was something that was needed. Cindy and I married a couple of years after James's death. I've never told anyone this, so I'm telling you dear reader.