Jimmy Millhollin, business and real estate leader in Flagler County, dies from COVID complications

Palm Coast Observer
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Jimmy Millhollin, a real estate broker, Navy veteran and former chairman of the Flagler Chamber of Commerce, died Jan. 30, due to complications from COVID-19. His wife, Annette Gardinal, wrote on Facebook: “My heart has shattered. The love of my life, my best friend and husband of 33 years has passed away.”

She went on to say that Millhollin had been diagnosed with a rare cancer called mantle cell lymphoma in February 2019 and was in and out of hospitals since October 2020. He was in remission, but “his immune system was compromised, making him an easy target for COVID-19,” she wrote.

He was being cared for Baptist Medical Center South, in Jacksonville, when he died.

As of Feb. 3, the Florida Department of Health reported that there were 73 COVID-related deaths in Flagler County since the pandemic began about a year ago; 301 have been hospitalized out of more than 5,300 Flagler cases. The median age of those infected is 47 years.

“Jimmy loved his family and friends, enjoyed the outdoors and had a passion to serve,” Gardinal wrote. “Rest in peace, you’ve endured enough pain and suffering. I love you.”

Millhollin's Facebook page says he was in the Class of 1972 at Pinole Valley High School. He attended Chapman University and was in the Navy from 1976 till 1999. Gardinal is also a Navy veteran, and both advocated for veterans in their time in Palm Coast; Millhollin instituted a military appreciation breakfast when he was chamber president in 2017.

Among the many tributes to Millhollin on Facebook was one by a friend named Beth Allen. She wrote: “Jimmy and Annette were such a wonderful couple who knew how to show hospitality and kindness to others. The Christmas before last, they had a group of widowed and single ladies over for Christmas Eve dinner so we would not be alone. Such a thoughtful thing to do. I will miss you Jimmy. Thank you for being a dear friend to me.”

“He was a very kind, knowledgeable, considerate leader and friend for over 18 years," said Dorothy Sperber, executive officer for the Flagler County Association of Realtors.

Flagler County Commission Chairman Donald O'Brien said he met Millhollin and Gardinal when they first moved to Flagler County in 2003.

"I was impressed because their community involvement was instantaneous," O'Brien said in a phone interview with the Palm Coast Observer. "He was calm and methodical and a caring person. Some people, if they ask how you're doing, they don't care when you tell them, but Jimmy did. He really wanted to hear what you had to say."