- Date Of Birth: February 8, 1929
- Date Of Death: September 13, 2012
- State: Florida
Louis Kelly McMillan, Jr., ‘52
Captain Louis Kelly McMillan, Jr., USNR (Ret.), died on September 13 in Destin, Florida after a prolonged illness. He was 83 years old.
“Lou” was born on February 8, 1929 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was the only child of Louis Kelly and Josephine (McNally) McMillan. At the age of eleven, he left Arkansas to attend school at The Little Outfit in Sierra Vista, Arizona. He returned home to attend Pine Bluff High School where he was an accomplished baseball player. He spent one year at the Citadel before being appointed to the Naval Academy, where he was a member of the 20th Company. While at the Academy, Lou rowed for the Navy crew under coach, Rusty Callow, who provided lifelong inspiration.
Immediately following graduation in 1952, Lou went to Helsinki, Finland, as a member of the U.S. Olympic rowing team. There followed duty in surface ships and submarines.
In civilian life, Lou worked in operations research for Tracor, The Center for Naval Analysis, Vertex and Syscon Corporation, all consulting firms in the Washington, DC area. For many years, he was a successful (not one losing season!) coach of Little League and Babe Ruth baseball teams. After retiring from Syscon in 1994, Lou and his wife, Helen (Moore) moved to Destin, Florida.
Lou is survived by his wife of 53 years, Helen; daughter, Cameron McFeeters (Jim); son, Mark; and three grandsons, James, Quinn and Ryan McFeeters. He also leaves behind his faithful English Cocker Spaniel, Abbey.
The McMillan family would like to recognize and thank the staffs of Crystal Bay Assisted Living Facility and Emerald Coast Hospice for their kind and unyielding support.
