PHILIP JOHN MILLIS
Philip John Millis died this past Thursday at age 89, services next Wednesday 6-29-2011, 11 am at Calvary Baptist Church, 6500 E. Girard Ave, Denver. Interment with military honors at Fort Logan Cemetery, 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Denver Post
June 26, 2011
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Philip John Millis was born on November 10, 1921 in Meridian, Idaho. He was the eldest of seven children born to Philip John and Blanche Bell Millis. His siblings include Dorothy, Max, and Virginia (all deceased), as well as surviving, a brother and two sisters.
In 1924 his family moved to the tiny town of Vernonia, Oregon where he grew up. In high school, he excelled in track and football, setting school records in each sport. One proud sports moment occurred when Jesse Owens was touring the country following his gold medal performances in the 1936 Olympics. In each community he visited, Jesse would give local speedsters the chance to race him in a 100-yard exhibition match. So fast was Mr. Owens that he reportedly gave Phil a ten-yard head start and still edged him at the tape, but what a thrill and honor that race must have been for a small town athlete.
Phil worked with his father in the local Oregon-American sawmill, taking a job that only the most fearless and agile young men dared attempt. He, and his brothers who followed, worked as "Turkey Trotters". As the huge logs left the mill pond and were moved by water along a flume to the cutting area, the logs could become jammed against one another in the channel, causing the potential for great harm and damage. The mill employed young men to run (or trot) up and down the flume and sometimes on the logs themselves, forcefully adjusting the moving logs with spiked poles, where one false move could result in serious injury or worse.
After helping the family with his earnings, Phil used his remaining savings to take flight lessons following high school. He earned his license from a nearby airfield and decided to enlist as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. As Phil filled out his enlistment papers, imagine the confused looks he must have gotten when in the space for Civilian Occupation, he wrote "Turkey Trotter." He was nevertheless accepted into flight training and was assigned to Brooks Army Airfield in San Antonio, Texas as a cadet pilot.
While training there, he attended various mixers and dances with his fellow cadets where he met and, three weeks following graduation and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, married Dorothy Willis Parker on September 18, 1943.
He was assigned to the 738th Bomb Squadron, of the 454th Bomb Group. When America entered World War II, Phil's squadron shipped out to support Allied operations in Europe. Stationed initially in Tunisia and then in Italy, Phil flew 50 air missions piloting B-24 bombers and P-38 fighters, receiving four Air Medals among several other decorations for his wartime valor.
After returning from overseas on September 27, 1944, Phil continued his military service in California and later in Louisiana where his first son was born. From birth the boy was called Flip, because Phil had endured decades of being called "Junior" at home and wished to avoid the same fate for his son. Later Phil served at Lowry AFB here in Denver, as well as in Texas, New Mexico, West Germany, and North Dakota where he retired after 22 years of service in 1963.
He then joined United Airlines as a flight instructor and lived in Aurora, CO for over 30 years, attending the Calvary Baptist Church. A second son, Sean, was born in 1967. A year after Dorothy passed away in 1986, Phil married Reta Mae Taylor, a widow who also attended Calvary Baptist. The couple later moved to Covenant Village in Westminster, CO where Reta passed away in 2001. At the age of 80, Phil married for a third time to a beautiful woman named Heidi Reich Gehlen whom he had known since grade school in Vernonia. The story goes that when he first contacted Heidi, Phil asked her two questions, "Are you available?" and "Are you healthy?" because he so feared the prospect of mourning the loss of a third wife. Heidi answered, "Yes" to both and she and Phil have lived happily together ever since.
Although sons Sean Millis and Patrick Gehlen pre-deceased him, Phil is survived by his wife, Heidi Gehlen Millis, one son, and four step-sons, as well as three step-daughters. They are joined by their spouses and by Phil's many grand children and great-grand children in mourning his passing. Crown Hill June 2011.
Philip John Millis died this past Thursday at age 89, services next Wednesday 6-29-2011, 11 am at Calvary Baptist Church, 6500 E. Girard Ave, Denver. Interment with military honors at Fort Logan Cemetery, 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Denver Post
June 26, 2011
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Philip John Millis was born on November 10, 1921 in Meridian, Idaho. He was the eldest of seven children born to Philip John and Blanche Bell Millis. His siblings include Dorothy, Max, and Virginia (all deceased), as well as surviving, a brother and two sisters.
In 1924 his family moved to the tiny town of Vernonia, Oregon where he grew up. In high school, he excelled in track and football, setting school records in each sport. One proud sports moment occurred when Jesse Owens was touring the country following his gold medal performances in the 1936 Olympics. In each community he visited, Jesse would give local speedsters the chance to race him in a 100-yard exhibition match. So fast was Mr. Owens that he reportedly gave Phil a ten-yard head start and still edged him at the tape, but what a thrill and honor that race must have been for a small town athlete.
Phil worked with his father in the local Oregon-American sawmill, taking a job that only the most fearless and agile young men dared attempt. He, and his brothers who followed, worked as "Turkey Trotters". As the huge logs left the mill pond and were moved by water along a flume to the cutting area, the logs could become jammed against one another in the channel, causing the potential for great harm and damage. The mill employed young men to run (or trot) up and down the flume and sometimes on the logs themselves, forcefully adjusting the moving logs with spiked poles, where one false move could result in serious injury or worse.
After helping the family with his earnings, Phil used his remaining savings to take flight lessons following high school. He earned his license from a nearby airfield and decided to enlist as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. As Phil filled out his enlistment papers, imagine the confused looks he must have gotten when in the space for Civilian Occupation, he wrote "Turkey Trotter." He was nevertheless accepted into flight training and was assigned to Brooks Army Airfield in San Antonio, Texas as a cadet pilot.
While training there, he attended various mixers and dances with his fellow cadets where he met and, three weeks following graduation and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, married Dorothy Willis Parker on September 18, 1943.
He was assigned to the 738th Bomb Squadron, of the 454th Bomb Group. When America entered World War II, Phil's squadron shipped out to support Allied operations in Europe. Stationed initially in Tunisia and then in Italy, Phil flew 50 air missions piloting B-24 bombers and P-38 fighters, receiving four Air Medals among several other decorations for his wartime valor.
After returning from overseas on September 27, 1944, Phil continued his military service in California and later in Louisiana where his first son was born. From birth the boy was called Flip, because Phil had endured decades of being called "Junior" at home and wished to avoid the same fate for his son. Later Phil served at Lowry AFB here in Denver, as well as in Texas, New Mexico, West Germany, and North Dakota where he retired after 22 years of service in 1963.
He then joined United Airlines as a flight instructor and lived in Aurora, CO for over 30 years, attending the Calvary Baptist Church. A second son, Sean, was born in 1967. A year after Dorothy passed away in 1986, Phil married Reta Mae Taylor, a widow who also attended Calvary Baptist. The couple later moved to Covenant Village in Westminster, CO where Reta passed away in 2001. At the age of 80, Phil married for a third time to a beautiful woman named Heidi Reich Gehlen whom he had known since grade school in Vernonia. The story goes that when he first contacted Heidi, Phil asked her two questions, "Are you available?" and "Are you healthy?" because he so feared the prospect of mourning the loss of a third wife. Heidi answered, "Yes" to both and she and Phil have lived happily together ever since.
Although sons Sean Millis and Patrick Gehlen pre-deceased him, Phil is survived by his wife, Heidi Gehlen Millis, one son, and four step-sons, as well as three step-daughters. They are joined by their spouses and by Phil's many grand children and great-grand children in mourning his passing. Crown Hill June 2011.
PHILIP JOHN MILLIS
Philip John Millis died this past Thursday at age 89, services next Wednesday 6-29-2011, 11 am at Calvary Baptist Church, 6500 E. Girard Ave, Denver. Interment with military honors at Fort Logan Cemetery, 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Denver Post
June 26, 2011
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Philip John Millis was born on November 10, 1921 in Meridian, Idaho. He was the eldest of seven children born to Philip John and Blanche Bell Millis. His siblings include Dorothy, Max, and Virginia (all deceased), as well as surviving, a brother and two sisters.
In 1924 his family moved to the tiny town of Vernonia, Oregon where he grew up. In high school, he excelled in track and football, setting school records in each sport. One proud sports moment occurred when Jesse Owens was touring the country following his gold medal performances in the 1936 Olympics. In each community he visited, Jesse would give local speedsters the chance to race him in a 100-yard exhibition match. So fast was Mr. Owens that he reportedly gave Phil a ten-yard head start and still edged him at the tape, but what a thrill and honor that race must have been for a small town athlete.
Phil worked with his father in the local Oregon-American sawmill, taking a job that only the most fearless and agile young men dared attempt. He, and his brothers who followed, worked as "Turkey Trotters". As the huge logs left the mill pond and were moved by water along a flume to the cutting area, the logs could become jammed against one another in the channel, causing the potential for great harm and damage. The mill employed young men to run (or trot) up and down the flume and sometimes on the logs themselves, forcefully adjusting the moving logs with spiked poles, where one false move could result in serious injury or worse.
After helping the family with his earnings, Phil used his remaining savings to take flight lessons following high school. He earned his license from a nearby airfield and decided to enlist as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. As Phil filled out his enlistment papers, imagine the confused looks he must have gotten when in the space for Civilian Occupation, he wrote "Turkey Trotter." He was nevertheless accepted into flight training and was assigned to Brooks Army Airfield in San Antonio, Texas as a cadet pilot.
While training there, he attended various mixers and dances with his fellow cadets where he met and, three weeks following graduation and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, married Dorothy Willis Parker on September 18, 1943.
He was assigned to the 738th Bomb Squadron, of the 454th Bomb Group. When America entered World War II, Phil's squadron shipped out to support Allied operations in Europe. Stationed initially in Tunisia and then in Italy, Phil flew 50 air missions piloting B-24 bombers and P-38 fighters, receiving four Air Medals among several other decorations for his wartime valor.
After returning from overseas on September 27, 1944, Phil continued his military service in California and later in Louisiana where his first son was born. From birth the boy was called Flip, because Phil had endured decades of being called "Junior" at home and wished to avoid the same fate for his son. Later Phil served at Lowry AFB here in Denver, as well as in Texas, New Mexico, West Germany, and North Dakota where he retired after 22 years of service in 1963.
He then joined United Airlines as a flight instructor and lived in Aurora, CO for over 30 years, attending the Calvary Baptist Church. A second son, Sean, was born in 1967. A year after Dorothy passed away in 1986, Phil married Reta Mae Taylor, a widow who also attended Calvary Baptist. The couple later moved to Covenant Village in Westminster, CO where Reta passed away in 2001. At the age of 80, Phil married for a third time to a beautiful woman named Heidi Reich Gehlen whom he had known since grade school in Vernonia. The story goes that when he first contacted Heidi, Phil asked her two questions, "Are you available?" and "Are you healthy?" because he so feared the prospect of mourning the loss of a third wife. Heidi answered, "Yes" to both and she and Phil have lived happily together ever since.
Although sons Sean Millis and Patrick Gehlen pre-deceased him, Phil is survived by his wife, Heidi Gehlen Millis, one son, and four step-sons, as well as three step-daughters. They are joined by their spouses and by Phil's many grand children and great-grand children in mourning his passing. Crown Hill June 2011.
Philip John Millis died this past Thursday at age 89, services next Wednesday 6-29-2011, 11 am at Calvary Baptist Church, 6500 E. Girard Ave, Denver. Interment with military honors at Fort Logan Cemetery, 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Denver Post
June 26, 2011
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Philip John Millis was born on November 10, 1921 in Meridian, Idaho. He was the eldest of seven children born to Philip John and Blanche Bell Millis. His siblings include Dorothy, Max, and Virginia (all deceased), as well as surviving, a brother and two sisters.
In 1924 his family moved to the tiny town of Vernonia, Oregon where he grew up. In high school, he excelled in track and football, setting school records in each sport. One proud sports moment occurred when Jesse Owens was touring the country following his gold medal performances in the 1936 Olympics. In each community he visited, Jesse would give local speedsters the chance to race him in a 100-yard exhibition match. So fast was Mr. Owens that he reportedly gave Phil a ten-yard head start and still edged him at the tape, but what a thrill and honor that race must have been for a small town athlete.
Phil worked with his father in the local Oregon-American sawmill, taking a job that only the most fearless and agile young men dared attempt. He, and his brothers who followed, worked as "Turkey Trotters". As the huge logs left the mill pond and were moved by water along a flume to the cutting area, the logs could become jammed against one another in the channel, causing the potential for great harm and damage. The mill employed young men to run (or trot) up and down the flume and sometimes on the logs themselves, forcefully adjusting the moving logs with spiked poles, where one false move could result in serious injury or worse.
After helping the family with his earnings, Phil used his remaining savings to take flight lessons following high school. He earned his license from a nearby airfield and decided to enlist as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. As Phil filled out his enlistment papers, imagine the confused looks he must have gotten when in the space for Civilian Occupation, he wrote "Turkey Trotter." He was nevertheless accepted into flight training and was assigned to Brooks Army Airfield in San Antonio, Texas as a cadet pilot.
While training there, he attended various mixers and dances with his fellow cadets where he met and, three weeks following graduation and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, married Dorothy Willis Parker on September 18, 1943.
He was assigned to the 738th Bomb Squadron, of the 454th Bomb Group. When America entered World War II, Phil's squadron shipped out to support Allied operations in Europe. Stationed initially in Tunisia and then in Italy, Phil flew 50 air missions piloting B-24 bombers and P-38 fighters, receiving four Air Medals among several other decorations for his wartime valor.
After returning from overseas on September 27, 1944, Phil continued his military service in California and later in Louisiana where his first son was born. From birth the boy was called Flip, because Phil had endured decades of being called "Junior" at home and wished to avoid the same fate for his son. Later Phil served at Lowry AFB here in Denver, as well as in Texas, New Mexico, West Germany, and North Dakota where he retired after 22 years of service in 1963.
He then joined United Airlines as a flight instructor and lived in Aurora, CO for over 30 years, attending the Calvary Baptist Church. A second son, Sean, was born in 1967. A year after Dorothy passed away in 1986, Phil married Reta Mae Taylor, a widow who also attended Calvary Baptist. The couple later moved to Covenant Village in Westminster, CO where Reta passed away in 2001. At the age of 80, Phil married for a third time to a beautiful woman named Heidi Reich Gehlen whom he had known since grade school in Vernonia. The story goes that when he first contacted Heidi, Phil asked her two questions, "Are you available?" and "Are you healthy?" because he so feared the prospect of mourning the loss of a third wife. Heidi answered, "Yes" to both and she and Phil have lived happily together ever since.
Although sons Sean Millis and Patrick Gehlen pre-deceased him, Phil is survived by his wife, Heidi Gehlen Millis, one son, and four step-sons, as well as three step-daughters. They are joined by their spouses and by Phil's many grand children and great-grand children in mourning his passing. Crown Hill June 2011.
Inscription
MAJ USAF WWII KO
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
