Kirsten Lynn Mills

Kirsten Lynn Mills, née Umphrey, passed into the loving arms of her Savior on Sept. 5, 2026. She was 62 years old.
Kirsten was born on Oct. 13, 1963, in Palo Alto, Calif., to Suzanne Lorraine Harsh, née Lown, and James McCord Umphrey. She was later lovingly raised by her mother and stepfather, Dev George Harsh. Kirsten grew up in Colorado Springs, Colo., alongside her sister, Kathleen Margaret Holverson née Umphrey.
She attended Colorado State University, where she earned a degree in business administration. Following college, Kirsten moved to Omaha, Neb., and began working at Commercial Federal. It was in Omaha that she married the love of her life, Russell Dean Mills, on June 11, 1988. Together, Kirsten and Russell shared 38 years of marriage and built a life centered on faith, family, love and steadfast commitment.
Kirsten was the devoted mother of two daughters. Erin Elizabeth Mills Leinbach, née Mills, married Joshua Leinbach, and they were blessed with a daughter, Edie Lynn Leinbach. Sarah Ann Meyer, née Mills, married Connor James Meyer, and they were blessed with two sons, Callahan Psalm Meyer and Rory Elijah Meyer. Kirsten treasured her daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren, and each one held a special place in her heart.
Throughout her life, Kirsten faithfully served children, families and her community through her work in education. She worked in the office at Harrison Elementary School until the family moved to Oconomowoc, Wis. There, she served as the librarian at Kettle Moraine Middle School, sharing her love of learning and her caring spirit with students and staff.
In 2020, the family returned to Warsaw. Kirsten immediately returned to Warsaw Community Schools, serving as the treasurer at Lakeview Middle School until her passing. She was known for her dedication, warmth, dependability, and friendly presence. Her work was more than a job. It was another way for her to care for people and faithfully serve the community around her.
Kirsten also had a special love for dogs. Over the years, Abby, Gerty, Mona and Lucy brought her great companionship and joy. Kirsten loved taking her dogs for walks and could often be spotted throughout every neighborhood in which she lived. Those familiar walks reflected much of who she was: faithful, approachable, steady and grateful for life’s simple blessings.
Above all, the central focus of Kirsten’s life was her faith and her personal walk with Jesus Christ. She accepted Christ as her personal savior at 13 years of age while attending Village Seven Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs. She loved God’s Word and found strength, comfort and assurance in many passages of Scripture.
Kirsten knew that nothing on earth could compare with the presence of God and that, even when human strength fails, God remains the strength of the heart and our eternal portion, as proclaimed in Psalm 73:25–26.
She trusted the Lord’s promise that His children do not need to fear because He is with them. She believed that God strengthens, helps and upholds those who belong to Him, as expressed in Isaiah 41:10.
Through every season of life, Kirsten rested in the assurance that God had called her by name and claimed her as His own. She believed that even through deep waters and difficult trials, the Lord remains present with His people and lovingly brings them through, as declared in Isaiah 43:1–3.
Kirsten also held firmly to the hope found throughout Romans 8: that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; that God is at work even amid suffering; that believers are His beloved children; and that neither death nor life, nor anything else in all creation, can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Kirsten was preceded in death by her mother, Suzanne Lorraine Harsh; her stepfather, Dev George Harsh; and her father, James McCord Umphrey.
She is survived by her beloved husband of 38 years, Russell Dean Mills; her daughters, Erin Elizabeth Mills Leinbach and Sarah Ann Meyer; her sons-in-law, Joshua Leinbach and Connor James Meyer; and her three cherished grandchildren: Callahan Psalm Meyer, Edie Lynn Leinbach and Rory Elijah Meyer. She is also survived by her sister, Kathleen Margaret Holverson; her brother-in-law, Joseph Gary Holverson; her niece, Emily Ann Holverson; and her nephew, Jacob Matthew Holverson. She is also survived by her mother-in-law, Joyce Mills; sisters-in-law: Peggy Neth, Pamela Canady, Amy Keller; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Kirsten will be remembered for her loving heart, her gentle and friendly spirit, her devotion to her family, her faithful service to students and schools, her love for her four-legged companions and, most of all, her unwavering faith in Jesus Christ.
Though she will be deeply missed, her family grieves with hope. The faith that guided Kirsten through this life now gives assurance that she is at home with her Savior, held forever in the love from which nothing can separate her.
Her strength may have failed, but God remained the strength of her heart and her portion forever. Psalm 73:26
Friends and family may visit from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, 225 Argonne Road, Warsaw. Kirsten’s life will be celebrated with a service at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home officiated by her brother-in-law, Pastor James Canady, followed by a graveside service at Oakwood Cemetery of Warsaw.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Kirsten’s honor to Warsaw Community High School, with “Food Pantry” noted in the memo line.