William Emery Milligan, Jr.
William Emery Milligan, Jr. of Taylor Lake Village passed into eternal life on May 6, 2014. He was born on December 16, 1930 in Charleston, S.C., the son of William Emery and Edna Buckheister Milligan. He is survived by his wife of sixty years, June Moore Milligan; by daughters Sharon Reeves and husband Dave, Donna Newland and husband Richard, and Laurie Milligan; by grandchildren Lauren Reeves, Jenna Reeves Conlin and husband Trevor, Brad Newland and Melissa Newland Watson and husband Matthew; by sisters-in-law Louelle Bolchoz, Marcia Nolte, and Mary Smith and husband Tom; and by many nieces and nephews. He served with the U.S. Air Force, graduated from the Citadel with an electrical engineering degree, and was employed at Johnson Space Center from 1962 until 1994. He was a devoted Christian and a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, where he served on the Board of Directors and was known for his participation in the Two from Galilee musical productions. He was also a discussion leader in Bible Study Fellowship, a pilot with Civil Air Patrol, and an accomplished artist, hunter, skeet shooter, and dog trainer. Visitation will be at Crowder Funeral Home, 1645 E. Main St., League City 77573 on Friday, May 9 from 5:00-7:00 pm. A memorial service will be at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 18220 Upper Bay Road, Houston 77058 on Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 am. Interment will be at Forest Park East, 21620 Gulf Freeway, Webster 77598. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, The Salvation Army, or The American Red Cross.
Bill was an outstanding individual, neighbor, and hunting companion. I had the privilege of interacting and learning from him as a teenager living in Dickinson. To this day, I attribute much of my success and accomplishments in life to people like Bill who took the time to introduce me to something that really influenced and altered the direction of my life. Being an accomplished wing shooter, Bill would often travel out of town on weekends to participate in skeet shooting competitions. During these outings he needed someone to take care of his dogs and landscaping. Bill made a deal with me and agreed to let me earn a hunting dog puppy if I would take care of these matters for him while he was traveling. So, in summer of ‘82, at the age of 14, I obtained my very first of many bird dog puppies. To this day my family likes to joke that this first puppy from Bill was much smarter than the teenage boy who owned it, which of course, I beg to differ. At any rate, from this point on, this one simple crossing of paths between two individuals changed my life forever. It changed me from being an average, aimless teenager to a young adult with a spark for accomplishing something.
A couple of years ago I happened to be back in Dickinson visiting family and friends for a few days. I stopped by to say hello to Dede Skoglund at Four Seasons Boutique in Dickinson and low and behold, Bill was there getting a haircut. I visited with Dede and Bill for a few minutes and then it was time for me to move on to other activities that I had planned for the day. As I walked out the door, I stopped and realized that this was an opportunity that will probably never present itself again. Being over 1000 miles away, this was likely my last chance to tell Bill “thank you”. I turned around and walked back into the salon. Both Bill and Dede looked at me and rest assured, could see it written all over my face. I could tell by the way they were looking at me that they knew why I returned. I probably didn’t even need to say anything at this point and Bill would have understood. Nevertheless, I told him how grateful I was for everything that he did for me and that he had a huge impact on my life. Now that this time has come I’m so grateful that I had a chance to thank him.
Last but not least I’m sure Bill would share with me in this sentiment from the late Will Rogers.
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
Bill had a lifelong passion for spending time with hunting dogs and I can directly attribute my interest in them over the past 30 years because of him. It is something that he handed down to me that I will never, never forget.
Sincerely
Brent and Vera Bell
Rocky River, Ohio
Formerly of 5014 Casa Grande, Dickinson, Texas
I had the honor of playing Bill’s wife in Two From Galilee (we were Joseph’s parents) for eight years. He had a huge heart and amazing talent. He loved fearlessly and with such joy. His love for Christ and his church shined through so easily, because he always let God be his driver. “For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.” He will be sadly missed by anyone who ever knew him.
With tremendous love and respect,
Sharon Sands