William (Bill) Goodson McMillan, 94, was born near Greensboro on November 20, 1931, and passed away on October 7 in Galveston, Texas.
Bill was married five times, and at seventy-seven years of age he met his perfect match, Carmen Finn of Dundee, Scotland. They never formally married, as he didn’t want to jinx it.
With his first wife, Emmalu, he fathered Roger, and, with his second wife, Vivian, his sons Kevin and Phillip. He lived most of his life in Fort Worth, Waco, Houston and Galveston, Texas. Although a Texan at heart, Alabama was always home, a place he visited annually. He came from a large family of ten siblings, a wonderful family that always supported each other. In Bill’s final years, when he found traveling difficult, their visits and those of his long-time friends made his life easier.
Bill was known for his humor, wild outfits and driving Rolls Royces. He chose Rolls Royces, not for snob appeal, but because he found a way, while in the Air Force in England, to buy them cheap and bring them to the U.S. He showed that anyone could have one.
Although he had many good years over his lifetime, Carmen was the love of his life. Everyone was ecstatic to have her, a career ballerina, as part of the family.
Bill had his last drink at forty-five years of age. He continued to be involved in Alcoholics Anonymous until the end, even attending a meeting a few months before his passing. He always believed in giving back to the fellowship that changed his life.
Bill graduated from Greensboro High School, where he was known as Ungie, in 1949, after which he enlisted in the Air Force, where he served over twenty-one years in the U.S., England and Germany. Subsequently, he worked as an adjudicator with the Veterans’ Administration in Waco and Houston until 1988. He spent his retirement years in Galveston, where he loved being near the gulf.
He is survived by his partner, Carmen Finn; his sons, Roger Vise, Kevin McMillan and Phillip McMillan; his siblings, Marcille Cockrell (Bobby), Norman McMillan (Joan) and Julia Walker; six grandchildren, Shane Vise, Shaun McMillan, Joseph McMillan, Joshua McMillan, Alice Vise and Avery Vise; eight great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Avery Becton McMillan and Lucille Goodson McMillan, and his siblings, Evelyn McMillan, Albert McMillan Jr., Sarah Vise (Howard), Elizabeth Yon (Bernie), Donald McMillan (Flo) and Kenneth McMillan (Brenda).
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 21, at 2 p.m. at Mount Hermon Methodist Church, 4836 County Road 51, Greensboro, followed by military honors at the graveside. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill’s memory may be made to the Mount Hermon Cemetery Association, 286 Night Hawk Drive, Greensboro, AL 36744.
