William Milankow
April 17, 1919 – February 3, 2007
My Uncle Bill (my great-uncle, actually) passed a little more than a week ago after a fight with cancer. Though I was not able to see him before he passed, I was able to go home to PA to spend time with his wife, my Aunt Gladys, and the family, the day after he passed, and returned for the memorial service last Wednesday. I had the honor of speaking (briefly) at the memorial.
Bill was a good and honest man. This is a rarity in today’s world, and as such his memory should be cherished. For me, Bill — and Gladys! — always meant family, they always meant Christmas. They invited us all over to their home every Christmas Eve, providing food, family, fun for the kids (going so far as to have a billiards table and a pinball machine!), and fun for the adults in terms of an open bar and a place for everyone to sit, reminisce, and catch up on everyone’s life. Uncle Bill taught me how to roast chestnuts as a boy — until then I thought it had just been a line in a song — and I will always think of him now when I see or smell or eat a chestnut.
Aunt Gladys was telling us about how Bill proposed to her, over 64 years ago … when someone asked “Did he get down on one knee?” she said, “Yes he did.” When someone asked “Did he have a ring?” she answered, “No, he didn’t.” Down on his knee, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of rings he had borrowed from the jeweler, and asked her if she saw anything she liked! Not in a cavalier or witty way, though; he honestly didn’t know much about rings other than that women liked them, so he thought he would give Gladys the chance to pick one she liked, since she would know best. When she took one and said yes, Bill told her that he would “take care of her forever” … “and he did,” she finished the story.
Godspeed, Bill. You were a great man, a humble man, and a kind and giving man. We need more men like you. You are missed by your family, and everyone you’ve touched over the years.
